Trouble in Paradise
by Crystine Decepticon
Summary: Heroic Decepticons AU. Swindle attempts to solve a mystery, and help the Decepticons earn a place in Paradise. WARNING: SPOILERS in final chapter. My first attempt at detective fiction.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Welcome to Paradise**

I've been given the task of helping solve a crime – an assassination, to be exact. I guess you could say I've got a knack for figuring things out, or so I've been told… probably more often than I'd care to admit. Nevertheless, I do make a confession: I've never done anything like this before; but, as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything. Right? And besides… there's a lot riding on the successful outcome of this investigation for us Decepticons.

Before I go into all of that, though, I want to start by saying that normally, we – Decepticons, that is – would rather shoot ourselves in the foot than be seen negotiating with the Autobots, which is understandable, if you know anything about our chequered history. But on this particular occasion, we came upon a unique opportunity to become part of an inter-planetary alliance, something which the Elders who govern the Cybertronian Empire have always vehemently denied us and, if we are successful, they'll have no choice but to acknowledge our rightful place within the Empire. So, for the sole purpose of this mission, we have agreed to a temporary cease-fire.

You see, it all started when the Paradisians contacted us to negotiate use of a section of Decepticon-controlled space that happens to border their planet. By 'us', I mean both Autobots _and_ Decepticons, because, as it turns out, the Cybertronian Elders realized that the Autobots would not be able to negotiate an agreement for that section of space without us so, in an unprecedented decision, they allowed us to participate in the negotiations.

But some time after we touched down on Paradise Planet, or Paradisia, as the natives call it, one of their elected representatives – Gadrin, his name was – was assassinated. By whom, and for what reason, nobody knows for sure.

Then surprise, surprise – for some reason the Autobots started to believe that we actually had something to do with the assassination. Before I go any further, though, I want to make it clear: we did _not_ have anything to do with the assassination. So, they're barking up the wrong tree, as they like to say here a lot. Anyway, I'll get to all of that a little later.

But allow me to introduce myself. My name's Swindle, and I guess I should start right at the beginning.

The very first time I set foot on this Paradise Planet, I saw why it was given that name. It's an oasis of lush jungles that span vast distances, abundant with sparkling lakes and waterways, and magnificent crystal canyons. It really is one of the most… beautiful organic planets I've ever seen. The Autobots don't believe that we Decepticons are capable of appreciating such natural beauty, but that's not actually true; we can, and we do.

"Welcome, to Paradise. Please make your way to the reception desk to collect your visitor passes. We hope you enjoy your stay!" That's what the organic humanoid host told us with a smile as he directed us towards the reception area at the Perfect Paradise Resort, a large complex specially designed for mechanoid species like us.

The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, had already arrived here before us, so we watched and waited as they received their individual passes at reception. I guess I should also mention that despite the fact that we were here on a peaceful mission, we Decepticons will always prefer to keep our distance from the Autobots, whenever possible.

At this point, I should also mention who's here. On our side, we have Starscream, Soundwave and Rumble, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Astrotrain, me – Swindle, and my Combaticon team mate, Vortex; and Scavenger and Hook – that's two of the Constructicons. We were the first to volunteer, and Starscream's our team leader. There's not much more to it, really.

On the Autobots' side, we have their illustrious leader, Optimus Prime – who else, right? Let's see… then there's Ratchet, Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Hoist, Bluestreak, Brawn… what's his name again – oh, yeah, _Beachcomber_ , and Cliffjumper. Don't quote me on this, but I heard that they selected their team from their ten highest scoring pinball players. Yeah, I know, it's probably a load of bunk, but I thought it was amusing, anyhow.

So anyway, back to the events as they unfolded. We watched as Optimus Prime and the Autobots were given directions to their guest quarters at the Resort by one of the staff there, when Starscream called out after them, as he is so often apt to do. "Don't forget the rules, _Auto-bolts_ ; no fighting, and no weapons. Think you can manage that?" He teased. His arms were folded in front of him, and he was leaning against a supporting column. Details can be important, by the way, however minor. So just bear with me, because I don't want to leave anything out if I can help it.

"That's something you should ask yourself, Starscream," Optimus replied. I think it was kind of obvious to everyone there that the Autobot leader didn't want to give our Decepticon Air Commander even one inch of satisfaction.

That's when Cliffjumper, the red mini-bot, turned towards Starscream. "Shut your mouth, Starscream, or I'll shut it for you," he called out. He had a kind of scowl on his face, as Optimus instinctively placed a restraining hand upon his shoulder.

"Pay no attention to him, Cliffjumper. Try to stay away from them, if you can. It's only for a week," Optimus told him. He was referring to us, of course.

Cliffjumper seemed to relax a little, but was still unconvinced. "The Elders should never have allowed the Decepticons here, Prime," he contested. "I don't trust them as far as I can throw 'em."

It gets kind of tiring hearing about the Autobots' trust issues, you know? We get it all the time from them.

The Autobot leader nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean, Cliffjumper. But they are invited guests here, nonetheless, just as we are. We must respect the Paradisians' wishes, however much we may disagree with them."

I could tell that the other Autobots did not really agree with Prime's sentiments, but they all nodded their heads in support, regardless.

"We'll just have to keep a real close optic on them, that's all," Brawn, the other mini-bot in their group, said. "Don't worry, Cliff. We'll make sure they don't get too out of hand. "

"I don't trust them as far as I can throw 'em, either," Ratchet, their repair guy, said. He was watching us as we approached the reception desk to pick up our own visitor passes. "I agree with Cliffjumper. They're only here for their own selfish reasons. I give 'em two days at most before they start causing some serious trouble; that's it."

Yep, there they go again…

"No way, two days is too much. I don't give them even half a day," Cliffjumper replied. "You just wait and see."

"Let's just all retire to our quarters and get some recharge. Who knows, they may actually be of some assistance tomorrow," Optimus told his team, although a little uncertainly.

"Wanna bet?" Cliffjumper said.

* * *

"Well, since we're here, I propose that the first thing we do is find where the Paradisians keep their energy deposits…" Starscream said to us, once we had found our room at the Resort. We were, ironically, right across the passageway from the Autobots. In fact, their room was so close to ours that we could hear a lot of their shouting and carrying on – and occasionally, bouts of laughter – to the point where it was beginning to annoy us, but Starscream in particular. "That way, we won't be left short in case we have to deal with Autobots."

A fair enough precaution.

"Sounds like a plan, Starscream," Skywarp agreed. "Once we can get around a few minor problems, of course."

"Minor problems? What minor problems?" Starscream queried, as the sounds of shouting carried across the hall between pauses of quiet. The actual words were muffled, but the voice was unmistakeably Cliffjumper's. "I wish those Autobots would shut the slag up!"

"Maybe we should just get us another room?" Vortex suggested. Though, I can say with a good amount of certainty that he was thinking of a completely different kind of remedy to the Autobot noise problem. I can also say with a good amount of certainty that he wasn't the only one.

Our Air Commander considered his idea, but then dismissed it. "No… it's easier to keep an optic on the enemy when they're close. We'll just have to put up with them, for now," he said. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes… problems?" He looked towards Skywarp.

"Well, we have the Autobots watching our every move, for one thing… even if we do find the Paradisians' energy deposits, how are we going to get it all safely back to Cybertron without them interfering, like they always do? I mean, it's not going to be easy to hide large amounts of energon from them, nor would we want to battle them while transporting the stuff." The purple and black seeker finished speaking, as we all listened intently to their conversation.

Now, in case you didn't know, Paradisia is a planet abundant in natural resources. The Paradisians have the ability to produce inexhaustible supplies of energy – which, amongst other things, can be readily converted into energon for our use. This is all possible thanks to a unique form of crystallite found only on Paradisia – a well-guarded secret amongst the inhabitants. But the truth is, it isn't that much of a secret. We all knew about it – scrap, even the Autobots and their Elders knew about it. But they _think_ it's a secret, and no one has ever bothered to tell them any different.

"Hmm…" Our Air Commander nodded. "You make a good point, Skywarp. Then we'll just have to come up with some sort of a decoy," he suggested. "Any ideas?"

We all fell quiet for a few moments, as we thought about what might make a good decoy, but the Autobots' voices from across the hall continued to distract us. "I can't think straight with all that noise," Rumble, that's the blue cassetticon, said finally.

"One of us should just go over there and…" Astrotrain started, in a lowered voice, and then shrugged. "I don't know."

Hook, the Constructicon – and the best repair guy this side of the galaxy – shared his inspiring thought. "Rewire their vocal circuits?"

"Yeah, though I think Cliffjumper has several backup ones in case his main unit is out of action…" his gestalt partner, Scavenger, joked, which made us all laugh.

"You know, I don't think that's too far from the truth," Thundercracker said. Yep, the Autobots were really asking for it.

"I think they've finally quietened down now," I said. It did seem quieter. For a few moments, anyway, before resounding laughter broke the silence again. "Uh. Never mind…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **The Grand Tour**

The Paradisians had arranged a welcoming tour of the Perfect Paradise Resort for all us Cybertronians, before our scheduled meeting with the Paradisian Confederation's Inter-Galactic Committee was to take place.

Two dedicated guides had been assigned to each group; one for us and one for the Autobots. The Autobots' guide was called Talak Ren. He was visiting from the Orbita exchange as part of Ambassador Shantar's crew, who was one of the dignitaries invited to attend our meeting. Talak had volunteered to assist the Autobots during their stay and to attend to any of their needs. Our guide was a Paradisian named Solan, who was a personal assistant to Representative Karlin. Karlin was one of the Paradisian dignitaries and a member of the Committee.

But anyway, to put it simply, the Resort was quite impressive. It even impressed Starscream, and that's saying something. Who would have thought that an organic race of beings, considered by most mechanoids to be rather primitive, could come up with something so… accommodating to our needs? I mean, no kidding, they'd thought of _everything_. There was even a pond full of multi-colored electrum, not to mention a self-serve bar with all flavours of fuels and oils – some that I'd never even heard of before. There was one type of oil that would even change color simply by being stared at.

Oh, the bad part of the tour? We had to share it with the Autobots. You're probably imagining the looks on our faces when we saw them waiting for us – but especially Starscream's. And you'd be right. He wasn't too happy, that's for sure. But, ironically, he didn't say anything about it.

We were shown the Cave of Simulated Environments, Talak Ren had called it, which could simulate the atmosphere and environment of any world imaginable. All one had to do was select an option from a large range of possible environments, and then simply walk into the cave and instantly, the scene would change right before your optics. The experience looked and felt pretty realistic; so much so that we all began to suspect that these Paradisians were _far_ more advanced than they let on, if their technological capabilities are anything to go by.

At one point, we were taken through this huge crystalline cavern, with walls that had been shaped and carved with such intricacy that it rivals even the Constructicons' best efforts.

"Amazing. What is this place?" One of the Autobots, Hoist, commented. He was standing there in awe, probably trying to figure out how the cavern had been constructed, and what its purpose was.

Talak looked at him and smiled. "This cavern is rich in a naturally occurring substance which, once understood and harnessed, can be used as an energizer," he explained.

"An energizer?" Wheeljack repeated, curious. "You mean like, some kind of power source or something?"

"Oh, yes, only it's much more than that. Here, why don't you go ahead and give it a try? Just step right over here and stand inside this alcove." Talak pointed to a spot nearby that was set into the cavern wall. Wheeljack did as he instructed and everyone stood by, watching expectantly. Their guide continued speaking as the Autobot engineer looked back nervously at everyone. "Of course, this was originally designed for organics, so it probably won't have the same effect on your species as it does on ours. However, from the tests that have been done on various mechanoid life forms such as yourselves, you should experience no permanent side effects."

That minor piece of information did not seem to deter Wheeljack too much. "Side effects, huh? Oh, ok. Let's see what happens."

No sooner had he said this, than he was surrounded by a bright light. It only lasted a few seconds, and after it was over he slowly stepped out of the alcove. He glanced around at his Autobot pals, and slowly shook his head. "Wow… now that was really _something_."

"What did it feel like?" Ratchet asked. He had a look of strong scepticism on his face.

Wheeljack looked as if he was suffering from the usual effects of having consumed too much energon in one sitting. The cavern fell silent as everyone, Autobots and Decepticons alike, waited expectantly for his reply. "That was… you know, there aren't really any proper words to describe what that was." He said this slowly and carefully. When he attempted to take a step forward, he staggered slightly. "Now that you mention it, though, I do feel kinda woozy. How long did you say the effects last for?"

Talak answered him. "That will depend on your own unique physiology. For some mechanoids, the after effects only last a few seconds, but for others, they could last up to several days, sometimes even weeks. But I assure you that it is perfectly safe. Would anyone else like to try it?" He looked around at the other Autobots.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I've seen enough," Ratchet said, while he gripped Wheeljack's arm to help him stabilise his balancing mechanism.

"Of course." Talak was just about to move on with the next part of the tour when one of the mini-bots spoke up.

"I'd like to see one of the 'Cons try it out. Or are they too afraid?" I knew it was Brawn before I even saw who had spoken. Most of us tried to ignore him, but that's hard to do when you just feel like putting the little twerp in his place.

Optimus interjected before any of us could respond. "Cool it, Brawn."

"Apology accepted," Astrotrain said to Optimus with a mischievous grin, and then looked down at the mini-bot. "I'll tell you what, Brawn. One of us will try it out, if you do." Everyone was silent again as they watched Brawn's reaction.

Wheeljack looked at him. He was sitting down now, with one hand on the cavern wall for support. "Uh, I wouldn't recommend it. I don't think your smaller frame will be able to take the sudden energy boost."

Brawn looked uncertain, but then asked their guide, who was smiling patiently back at them. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Perfectly," Talak said.

"Okay." Brawn said, and stepped into the alcove. I think he was determined to prove himself, you know? Two seconds later, there was a flash of light just like before, and then… nothing. Brawn stood there for a long moment, as if he were in a daze.

That's when his pal Cliffjumper rushed forwards, worried that there might be something wrong with him. "Brawn? Brawn?" No response. "Brawn–" That's when Brawn literally fell over, right on top of Cliffjumper.

It was kind of funny to watch, actually. Long story short, Ratchet and Talak ended up having to carry the mini-bot all the way back to their room, to recover from whatever it was that he had just experienced, as he wasn't very responsive, though he kept muttering something that sounded a lot like 'Whoa _'_. Of course, no one else wanted to have a go at the energizer after that, though I must admit I was more than a little curious, myself.

That was the highlight of the tour for us, I think. The rest of it just consisted of walking through a lot of jungle and canyons. Now, the events of the tour probably don't have anything to do with the assassination, but I don't want to leave out any details, just to be sure.

* * *

By the time we arrived at the Hub – a Paradisian city close to the Resort – Brawn had recovered sufficiently to be able to speak again, though he ignored Astrotrain completely for the rest of the day.

We entered Central Hall, where the Autobots had already taken their seats around one side of a long, oval table in the center of the space, in preparation for the meeting. There were two Cybertronian Elders present; one I recognized as Alpha Trion, and the other was Traachon, though I don't know a great deal about him, other than his obvious antagonism towards Decepticons. The two Elders were both members of the Committee. The other three members of the Committee – Paradisian Representatives of the Confederation – were also present, and along with the Elders they were all seated together at one end of the table, discussing something amongst themselves. There were some empty seats beside them, and I'd figured they'd been reserved for a couple more invitees who were yet to arrive. Behind the conference table and standing around the inner perimeter of the hall quietly looking on were several other Paradisians, including both our guides, but the majority of them seemed to just be there to observe.

We each took a seat, ignoring the sour looks that many of the Autobots were giving us. Prowl mostly kept his thoughts to himself, but I could tell that he didn't approve our being there at all. Starscream sat directly across from Prime, kind of like in a leader-to-leader face-off.

Optimus waited a good while before he said anything, his expression mostly obscured by his face mask. "Where's Megatron?" He asked Starscream casually, though deliberately, as if he were accusing our leader of shirking some important responsibility.

"That's really none of your business." Gotta love Starscream's bluntness.

Optimus seemed unperturbed. "I'm only asking a simple question. He indicated that he would be available for this meeting."

"Well, he's busy. But don't worry; I'm perfectly capable of taking his place on this mission," our Air Commander replied, looking self-satisfied.

That's when two more official-looking people entered the hall. They silently took their seats beside the Paradisians at the head of the table, and then the entire assembly suddenly quietened down.

The Paradisian in the middle began the meeting with an official welcome. "My name is Mabus, I am here as First Representative of the Inter-Planetary Committee for the Paradisian Confederation. On behalf of all our peoples, we would like to officially welcome you to Paradisia. It is, indeed, an honour to have you all here." Mabus paused, looked at each of us briefly. He indicated with a hand towards his right to a tall male and a stately looking female. "This is Representative Karlin, and this is Ambassador Shantar from the Orbita exchange; she has agreed to offer her invaluable expertise on alien co-habitation and civilizations. And to my left," indicating with his left hand to two other males, "we have Representative Gadrin, and Commissioner Balek. The Commissioner is here to ensure that all our planetary laws and regulations are honoured." He paused again, and then looked towards the Cybertronian Elders seated beside Balek. "As always, our deepest gratitude to Alpha Trion, and Traachon, who have been of great assistance to our people over the past vorn."

"Yes, yes, indeed. Greetings to you, Optimus Prime! So glad that you and the Autobots are here today," Alpha Trion greeted the Autobot leader and his entourage with a very warm heart. "We have much to discuss. Yes, much indeed."

"Good to see you are well, Alpha Trion," Prime responded, then nodded respectfully at Traachon. "Traachon." The Elder gave him a slight nod but remained quiet, allowing Alpha Trion to speak for them.

Mabus then indicated towards Gadrin. "I do believe Gadrin and the Autobots are already acquainted?"

Gadrin nodded at Optimus Prime and the Autobots. "Indeed we are. I trust that your tour of the Resort was to your liking?"

Optimus nodded. "Ah, yes, it was very interesting. Thank you, Gadrin."

While the Autobots were having a great time, we were essentially being ignored, mostly by the Cybertronian Elders at this stage. This was to be expected; they don't like us, and we don't like them.

On a side note, I noticed the way Astrotrain grinned at Brawn when the tour was mentioned, and I'll tell you – if looks could kill, Brawn would have killed him for sure.

Representative Karlin, seated immediately to Mabus' right, spoke up then, addressing Starscream. "And, likewise, I have recently had the pleasure of meeting your leader, Megatron." Well, at least the Paradisians know how to treat their guests, whether they like us or not.

"Yes, he did mention you, Karlin, along with your strong views on the subject of air space defense," our Air Commander responded.

Mabus waved for our guides to approach, who each brought over a tray of receptacles. "Now, before we get into official discussions, please try some of our highest quality liquid fuel, made especially for your species."

The guides passed around the fuel, and I picked up the clear glass container after Solan had placed it carefully down in front of me, slowly lifting it to examine its contents. The energon in it literally sparkled. I'd never seen anything so beautiful before. And it tasted just as good as it looked, too.

"I'm sure you all know why we are here today. Our dilemma is relatively straight-forward, and one that I am sure we can all come to an agreeable solution, with your gracious generosity and support." As Mabus spoke, his gaze fixed upon Optimus Prime. "We have reached a stage in our evolution where we feel that we are now ready to expand our horizons, if you will. Up until this point, we Paradisians have mostly kept to ourselves, and have preferred not to mingle too much with other species within our galaxy, including your own species. But, it is time now for us to venture forth." There was a long pause, as the onlookers began to talk quietly amongst themselves, whilst others captured the event on their recording devices, eager not to miss a single word. "As you are all aware, we will require use of the particular section of space that extends across Paradisia's galactic gateway if we are to progress forwards… and, as we are predominately a peace loving species, we do not wish to create conflict. So, it is for this reason… that we are prepared to offer you generous compensation, in exchange for unhindered passage through that section." The First Representative paused again, patiently waiting for any questions to be asked.

It was Starscream who spoke next. "What kind of generous compensation, exactly?" The answer to this question, of course, was on all our minds.

Mabus looked at our Air Commander and smiled graciously. "We are prepared to offer you a substantial amount of our raw crystallite. This unique substance is only found in its natural form on our world and has an innumerable number of uses. You have experienced only but a small example of how we have been successfully able to harness it, but there is more, of course."

Before anyone else thought to respond, Alpha Trion made his official statement. "Mabus, if I may?" Mabus nodded curtly, waiting expectantly for the Elder to continue. "On behalf of the Autobots and the Cybertronian Empire, we would like to officially accept your offer. We see no reason to deny you the use of that particular section of space, nor do we wish to jeopardize any current agreements that we have in place with your world." That's when he paused to look at Starscream, and his tone of voice altered slightly with his next words. "We would also require the Decepticons' agreement, since… for the time being, at least… a large portion of that space is under their control."

That's darned right.

Mabus nodded in understanding. "Indeed, and it is for that very reason I have insisted that representatives from both your factions be present for these discussions."

Now it was our turn to make our official statement. I think Optimus Prime knew all along what was going to happen next, but was holding out and hoping that, for once, the Decepticons would make things easy for the Autobots and their so-called Cybertronian Empire; but, that wasn't why we were here.

"Yes, that is absolutely correct, Alpha Trion, the Decepticons do control that part of space, and we are not about to give it up so readily," Starscream began, his gaze fixed steadily upon the Elders. Then he addressed Mabus. "That is indeed a generous offer, First Representative; however, I'm afraid that we cannot enter into a formal agreement with Paradisia as long as we Decepticons remain unrepresented on your Committee."

That came as a complete surprise to most of those present, including my fellow Decepticons. There was much anxiety and uncertainty amongst the Autobots and the two Elders, as Starscream's words made an impact. "What you are suggesting… is simply out of the question," Traachon finally answered him. "The Decepticons have no place on this Committee – which also represents the Cybertronian Empire!" He sounded incredulous, as if he had taken personal offense at Starscream's suggestion.

"I concur. The Decepticons are not a sanctioned establishment of the Cybertronian Empire, and as such they do not have any proper authority on their home planet. It is for this reason they should not be involved in Cybertronian-Paradisian affairs," Gadrin said, in full support of Traachon's views.

That's when Representative Karlin spoke up in our defense. "If I may speak in support of the Decepticons… they are, nevertheless, an independent military unit with undeniable control of vast areas of Cybertronian space. They cannot simply be ignored, and to that extent, I see no reason why we should not offer them an official partnership with Paradisia."

Soundwave, who was seated beside Starscream, said something to him in private. I didn't catch what he'd said, but Rumble, who was seated to my left, relayed it back to those of us within hearing range. "Ambassador Shantar doesn't look too happy," he said.

"Karlin is correct. The Paradisian Confederation has no quarrel with us. We've done nothing against them," Starscream added.

"Yes, that is very true," Mabus responded, and then added carefully, "However, the Committee must come to an agreement before we can proceed with any further discussions."

That's when Optimus Prime interjected. "If it's alright with you, First Representative, we would like a few moments to discuss this matter between ourselves… in private," he said, indicating Starscream and himself.

Mabus waved a hand in the air. "Of course. We shall take a short recess." He stood up to leave. Optimus stood up to leave also, but was stopped by Mabus. "No, please. Remain here. We shall return in a short while. In the meantime, please help yourselves to more refreshments." With that, he turned and left the Central Hall, followed by the Cybertronian Elders and the rest of the dignitaries. The gathered crowd vacated the hall soon after, until all who remained were our guides. They brought us a second round of liquid fuel refreshments, and then exited the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **The Assassination**

"Starscream, what in _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Whenever Prime used the word 'hell', you knew he was in his serious angry mode. "Demanding a place on the Committee is absolutely out of the question. I cannot allow you to jeopardize Cybertron's existing relationship with the Paradisians."

"And what are you going to do about it, Prime? For all we know, the Cybertronian Empire will take advantage of us, especially if only the Autobots are represented in an official agreement," Starscream shot back.

Optimus' anger was now showing, and he didn't hold back. "Alpha Trion's too polite to tell you this, but the Decepticons are nothing but criminals. No one in their right cranial circuits would ever consider forming an alliance with you. The only reason you're here at all is because the Paradisians have no idea what you're all truly capable of and, believe me – when they find out… we'll be ready." Prime looked at each of us in what I could only describe as contempt.

"Is that so? Well, that's a matter of opinion, Prime, and if you don't back off, we can all just leave right now. I'd like to see you try to help the Paradisians come to some sort of resolution without us; we're not going to simply hand over control of that air space. Let's just see how far you get, shall we?" Starscream responded, keeping his cool. "Besides, we've got better things to do than to sit around here and be insulted by the likes of you," he added.

"Yeah, sounds like they don't want our help, anyway," Skywarp said, his arms folded in a defensive gesture.

"Ah, Prime?" One of the Autobots, Jazz, spoke up. "Even if most of us here don't agree with the way they do things, they _did_ come here and join in the discussions… at least, that's got to count for something, right?"

Prime hesitated, and then sighed. "Maybe you're right. We didn't come here to fight them – not this time."

"It'd be great if we could just come to some sort of arrangement that we'd _all_ be happy with," Jazz continued.

A pause, and then Prime conceded. "Alright, Starscream… you've made your point."

"Well, now that we've cleared up any misunderstandings, we really don't have much more to discuss, do we? If the Paridisians have no problems with us, then I fail to see why our request should bother you so much," Starscream replied. "It is perfectly reasonable, and fair."

A short while after that, the dignitaries re-entered the hall, followed soon after by the Elders, our guides, and a few of the spectators; they all took their seats, and the hall quietened down. Mabus opened up the discussions once again. "Commander Starscream, your request for Decepticon representation on our Committee is currently under advisement. Please allow us up to twenty hours to come to a decision."

Starscream nodded, gave Prime a smug look. "Take all the time you need, Representative. In the meantime, we eagerly await your decision."

Satisfied with that, Mabus now addressed the Autobot leader. "If there is nothing else, Commander Prime, we will have our answer for you tomorrow."

Optimus Prime sat in thought, his gaze shifting between Starscream and the Elders, until finally he shook his head. "No, there is nothing further, Representative."

Mabus nodded curtly and stood up. He looked around at all of us. "Very well. Please feel free to make full use of our Resort in the meantime." Then he left the Central Hall, and everyone followed his lead, leaving the Hall in an orderly fashion.

That was the last time we saw Gadrin alive. He was found early next morning by one of his personal attendees in his hotel suite. He had been poisoned.

We were called to an emergency meeting in the Central Hall that same morning. Alpha Trion, Representatives Mabus and Karlin, and Commissioner Balek were all present, along with the Autobots. That's when we were told of the news of his demise. We were also informed that, as a direct result of the assassination, any further discussions in relation to an accord between our races would have to be put on hold, possibly indefinitely, unless Gadrin's assassin, and the motivations behind his murder, could be uncovered.

"That is grievous news, Representative. We offer our sincerest condolences," Optimus Prime said, speaking for the Autobots. "Do you know what happened?"

Mabus shook his head. "No. It has come as a complete shock to us all… and most unexpected."

"I understand. Is there anything we can do?" Optimus Prime again; always the diplomat, eh?

Alpha Trion replied in a solemn voice. "As a matter of fact, there is… We must request that you all remain on Paradisia, at least until we have apprehended the assassin. The Paradisians have strict protocols in place for incidents such as this one. Your complete cooperation and understanding in this matter would be most appreciated."

The Commissioner added, "Until we know more, we are all possible suspects – myself and Representative Mabus included."

"Of course," Optimus said, nodding in understanding. "Anything we can do to help your investigation." He looked at Starscream, not expecting him to cooperate. But, this time, he was wrong.

Starscream spoke on behalf of the Decepticons. "Well, in that case… we, also, will be happy to be of any assistance."

I could tell that Optimus Prime was once again suspicious of our Air Commander. It was kind of fun to watch his reaction.

"Well… speaking of assistance," Alpha Trion replied, speaking to Mabus, "It might be wise to allow the Autobots the opportunity to help with the investigation. It's the least we can do, in return for your gracious hospitality, and their technical expertise would come in most handy."

"Hm," Mabus pondered this for a long moment, before replying. "Any help would certainly speed up our investigation. Commissioner?"

Balek nodded in acknowledgment. "Agreed. I see no reason to disallow it."

"Wonderful," Alpha Trion said, gripping Optimus' arm reassuringly. "Optimus?"

"Of course, we'll be glad to. Hopefully we'll have the assassin apprehended well before he's had a chance to leave Paradisia." He looked at Starscream as he said this with that same suspicious look in his optics.

"Now, wait just one astro-second," Starscream interjected, noticing the Autobot leader's accusatory stare. "You don't seriously think that… _we_ had anything to do with the assassination?"

Optimus shrugged. "Like the Commissioner said; we're all possible suspects here. I wouldn't put it past you, Starscream," he said, with his typical sense of Autobot righteousness. Mabus said nothing as he watched the interaction, probably thinking that it was best not to interfere. Alpha Trion looked a little unsure.

Starscream turned to address him. "Alpha Trion, if you're at all worthy of the title of Elder, you'd acknowledge the fact that your revered Autobot leader has just accused us of a serious crime, without any evidence whatsoever to back up his accusation."

Optimus interrupted him. "Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be, Starscream–"

"We all heard what you said, Optimus Prime. There's no use in denying it," Starscream came back at him, and when Prime said nothing further, he continued. "As I was saying… we have the right to defend ourselves against our accuser, do we not?"

Alpha Trion looked a little confused, but then nodded. "Well… I suppose…"

"Then, we would like the opportunity to conduct our own investigation, as a token of our good intentions towards the Paradisians… in anticipation of a future partnership."

Prime shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious?" No one said anything for a long moment, and he looked towards the Commissioner for an answer.

The Commissioner placed a hand under his chin in thought, looking from Prime to Starscream and back again. Finally, he shrugged. "There's no rule that says he can't conduct an independent investigation, provided he has been granted permission… in this case, by at least three members of the Committee." He said, nodding towards Mabus, Karlin and Alpha Trion.

"I am happy for them to do so," Karlin immediately offered.

Mabus nodded, smiled at us. "I have no objections. Alpha Trion?" The Elder gave him a resigned look.

"Good. Then, it's settled," our Air Commander said in satisfaction. "We shall uncover the truth, and then the Autobots cannot accuse us. I wouldn't put it past you, Optimus Prime." Touché.

* * *

Once we'd returned to our room later that morning, we discussed things amongst ourselves, away from the prying audio sensors of Autobots or their Elders.

"If we find the assassin before the Autobots do, the Paradisians will be most grateful to us. They might even offer us a position on their Committee. Then, once Decepticons are represented in an official capacity, the Cybertronian Empire will be forced to acknowledge our existence, for a change," Starscream explained, after Thundercracker had queried him about his motivations in deciding to conduct our own investigation.

"Heh, and I thought you were just getting back at Optimus Prime for what he said about us," Rumble noted.

"…And that," Starscream replied, after a pause. "If he thinks that only the Autobots should benefit from an alliance with our neighbouring planet, then he is sadly mistaken."

"So… any thoughts on how we're going to find our assassin?" asked Thundercracker, as he experimented with the different options available on the energon dispenser located in one corner of our guest quarters.

"That shouldn't be too difficult. If we can determine the reason for the assassination, it will lead us to the killer," Starscream replied.

"I don't think it's going to be that simple, Starscream," Skywarp responded. "For starters, we're going to have to question everyone, look for clues, and then try to piece everything together."

"Leave no stone unturned," Scavenger commented, eager to help.

"Well, then, there's no time to waste, is there?" Starscream remarked.

From the corner of the room, Thundercracker spat out a mouthful of energon, and then examined the half-filled container he held in his hand as if it had rust spores growing inside it. "Whew. That stuff's _lethal_ ," he said. He turned to Soundwave, who was close by, and held it out to him. "Come on, Soundwave, you gotta try it."

Soundwave tilted his head slightly, inspecting the contents of the container. "No, thank you," he said.

"Thundercracker?" Starscream said, interrupting their fun. "I want you and Skywarp to keep an optic on things at the Hub. Try to keep Mabus and Karlin within your sights, but don't make yourselves noticeable."

"Huh?" Thundercracker placed the container down, walked over to the rest of us. "Oh… that's no problem."

Starscream continued, looking towards Soundwave. "Soundwave… inform Megatron of what's going on, and keep him updated on our progress." Soundwave nodded in acknowledgment. "Once you've done that, I want you to find out as much as you can about Gadrin. Search all available databases, and try to get access to his personal quarters if you can." That should be no problem for our communications expert. If I know anything about Soundwave, it's that there's nothing he can't get access to.

"Consider it done," Soundwave replied.

"Good. Also, retrieve any and all recent communications that may be relevant to our investigation – with or without the proper authorisation."

Again, Soundwave indicated acknowledgment. Then Starscream turned to Scavenger and Hook. "You two… search this entire Resort for clues, as well as the space port. As you said before, Scavenger… leave no stone unturned."

"Okay," Scavenger acknowledged, content with the task.

"Don't worry, if there are any clues at all to be found, we'll get to them before the Autobots do," Hook assured him.

Starscream continued. "Astrotrain… don't allow anyone to leave Paradisian air space, no matter who it is – even Optimus Prime."

Astrotrain nodded. "You got it."

"What can I do?" Rumble asked Starscream.

"You, Rumble, will keep a close optic on the Autobots. Follow their investigation, and keep track of their every move. If they find out anything before we do, make sure that you know about it as well," our Air Commander ordered him.

I think Rumble liked that idea a lot, because he grinned. "You can count on me, Starscream."

Vortex and I were the last ones to be given our tasks. "Swindle, record everything that's happened since we arrived here. Also, I want you to ask a lot of questions. Don't leave anybody out; Mabus, Karlin, the Commissioner, Alpha Trion, Traachon… even the Autobots. Vortex, you'll be helping him – make sure that they're all telling the truth."

"Sure thing. We can handle that, can't we, Vortex?" I said to my partner.

"Absolutely," he replied. "By the time we're through, nobody is going to have any secrets."

After a momentary pause, during which everybody contemplated their assigned tasks, Skywarp asked our Air Commander, "What are _you_ going to do, Starscream?"

"I'm going to look for Ambassador Shantar, find out where she's gone to. Nobody has seen her since early this morning," he answered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **The Elders**

The first 'suspect' on my list of interviewees was none other than First Representative Mabus. He invited us into his private quarters for the interview and, as usual, was very accommodating. He didn't seem bothered by our interrogation, and treated the whole thing very seriously. Now, I'm pretty good at telling when someone's lying, or if they're hiding something, and I can confidently say that Mabus hasn't a clue about why anyone would have wanted to terminate Gadrin.

Representative Karlin's responses were predictable. He reassured us that he has no idea who would have wanted Gadrin assassinated, though he did confess to having exchanged some heated words with him after yesterday's meeting. According to Karlin, Gadrin had been opposed to the idea of allowing a Decepticon to join the Committee, something that Karlin was all for.

Next on my list was Commissioner Balek who, we discovered, was originally from Orbita but now resided on Paradisia. He had agreed to meet us at the Hub's public square, and was accompanied by two of his assistants. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and rushed through some of his answers, so Vortex reminded him that he was under the Committee's directive to answer all our questions as best he could, and that he should leave nothing out.

"I don't know what else I can tell you. My job is to make certain that Paradisia's representatives abide by all codes and regulations as set out in our official charter. I am quite happy to provide you with a copy of that charter…" He faltered, had trouble recalling my name.

So I reminded him. "Swindle."

"Ah. Yes… Swindle."

"So, in your professional opinion, Commissioner, have all officials abided by your codes?" I asked him.

"Yes, yes, of course. Like I said, it'll all be in my report. I'll have one of my assistants transfer you a copy as soon as it is complete."

We had no further questions for Balek. The next official on my list would have been Ambassador Shantar but, as Starscream had mentioned earlier, she'd pulled a vanishing act and was nowhere to be found.

"Now what?" Vortex asked me.

"Now… the esteemed Elders," I replied.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," my partner said, with a hint of sarcasm.

Alpha Trion was the first we questioned of the two. He said he'd meet us at the crystalline cavern, the one that contained that energizer. It was an odd place to meet, but he reassured us that he would be there alone, and that we would have sufficient privacy. I wanted to ask him why he should be concerned with privacy, but then I thought better of it. We'll let him choose the meeting place. What difference did it make, anyway?

Ten minutes later, Vortex and I arrived at the cavern. Alpha Trion was sitting on one of the translucent crystal mounds, which had been smoothed at the top to form a seat. The entire cavern sparkled with brilliant colors, and we were once again taken by the beauty of this natural structure.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day…" Alpha Trion said, as soon as he sensed us walk in. His back was turned to us.

I cleared my vocal processor, more to signal our arrival than anything else. "And what day would that be, Alpha Trion?"

He turned around slowly. "Eh… the day that Decepticons would demand recognition on equal terms…" He sounded tired, as if he had lived through too many battles, seen too many wars.

"Is that really so far-fetched?" I ventured. "I mean, if you think about it… Cybertron _is_ our home just as much as it is the Autobots'."

"Perhaps… but the Decepticons were never designed to hold any independent positions of power." I could see that the Elder wasn't trying to be disrespectful; he was only sharing what he considered to be simple truth.

"Oh, yeah? Then what were we designed for, Alpha Trion?" Vortex was trying hard not to show anger, and was doing a rather admirable job of it, I thought.

But the Elder didn't seem to take him the wrong way. As I said, he hadn't tried to be disrespectful. "To do, and not think." He paused in thought, observing us both. "But, inevitably… time changes all things… and nothing can remain the same. If we cannot adapt to those changes, then sooner or later… we will all perish."

"So… you're saying that we should be given representation on the Committee?" I asked him, quite intrigued.

Alpha Trion shrugged. "That is not for me alone to judge." He paused again in thought. "I have existed a long time… long before any of you were even created. There were far less of us in those days, when Cybertron was still young. Quite frankly, not one of us ever imagined that your kind would survive more than a few millennia. In fact, there were times when you had come close to the brink of extinction. But, each time, the hand of Primus intervened, and… your kind has survived to this day."

I've got to make another confession. I'm a history buff – Cybertronian history, that is – and the more ancient or obscure the stories, the more I like to hear them. So, you can imagine my delight when Alpha Trion began to speak of days now long gone.

But, anyway, I was sure that the Elder was trying to get to a point. He shook his head slowly. "I cannot tell you how many times I have wished for peace for our world… but, alas, there are far too many irreconcilable differences between your kind… and the Autobots… that I fear any attempt to see optic to optic can only end in failure and mistrust… as it has already been proven too many times before." He stood up and walked towards us with a purposeful gait. "But that is not the reason you have come to speak with me."

I glanced at Vortex, who had been contemplating Alpha Trion's words. "We're here to ask you about Gadrin. Do you have any idea who may have assassinated him, or why?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Alpha Trion sighed. "I'm afraid… that I do not. Gadrin… was most supportive of our efforts. He had worked closely with the Autobot leader many times… I simply cannot understand why anyone would want to do away with him."

"So, there's nothing you can tell us about Gadrin or the circumstances of his death that might help us find his killer?" I asked him.

"Hm." Alpha Trion rubbed his chin in thought. "There is… one minor detail… though I doubt it will prove to be of any worth to your investigation."

"Tell us, anyway," Vortex said. "Any minor detail is better than none."

"He was… somewhat distracted of late. Possibly a result of the mounting political tensions within the Orbita cluster." From what I'd heard, relations between Paradisia and the Orbita cluster went way back – in fact, Orbita is one of the few foreign empires that has a long established alliance with Paradise Planet. "Also, he and the Ambassador had been spending more time together."

"You mean Ambassador Shantar?" I asked.

"Yes, yes," he clarified, and then added as an after-thought, "Of course, they'd known each other a very long time. I'd never imagine that she might have had anything to do with his…" Alpha Trion trailed off, waving his hand, not needing to finish the sentence.

"You have any idea where she might be?" Vortex asked him.

The Elder shook his head. "I'm afraid I do not know. Perhaps she has returned home."

"Without waiting around for the Committee's decision? Seems kinda odd, don't you think?" I pointed out, but Alpha Trion had nothing further to contribute on the subject, and so Vortex and I left it at that.

We went in search of our next subject for interrogation. Unlike Alpha Trion, Traachon was far from helpful. His tone of voice seemed to indicate that he considered us wholly unworthy of even approaching him, and was strongly reluctant to answer any of our questions. But his attitude towards Vortex and I didn't come as any surprise to me. It's well known among Cybertronians that many of the Elders – to put it bluntly – hate Decepticons with a passion, and Traachon was no exception.

"If you're not going to talk to us, Traachon, I'll just have to take you on a personal tour of the great canyons… I'm sure you'll appreciate their beauty. The view from the bottom is truly unique," my team mate threatened him.

"You wouldn't dare!" Traachon seethed.

"Try me," Vortex replied, quite serious about making good on his offer.

Traachon glared at us with a look that could have torn us up into tiny, little shreds. "Of course, why should I expect better from abhorrent mechanoids such as yourselves?"

"Hey, take it easy," I said to the Elder, as I held Vortex back with one hand. "We only want to find out what happened to Gadrin–"

"Ah, yes… but only if you can profit from it! I sincerely pray that your kind is _never_ allowed a place on the Committee."

I tried to ignore his cutting comments as best I could. "Well, regardless, you still have to answer our questions," I reminded him.

"I don't have to do anything…" he began, but then backed away as Vortex stepped towards him, grabbing him.

"How about that tour, Traachon?" He reminded the Elder.

"Let go of me!" He said, struggling, until he finally decided that arguing with two Combaticons probably wasn't a smart idea, after all. "Alright… alright! I'll answer your questions, just let go of me."

I nodded to Vortex, who released his grip on the Elder. "Good. Now that that's settled, we can get started. How well did you know Representative Gadrin?" I asked. "Did he have any enemies?"

Traachon gave us both a disdainful look, but then answered my questions, carefully selecting his words. "There were a minority who were opposed to his ideals. However, he also had a large number of supporters – many of them in high positions."

"Uh huh. And who were these… minority?" I queried him.

Traachon was reluctant to answer, but then he shrugged it off. "Karlin was probably his strongest opposition. Perhaps you should question him."

"Is there anyone else?" I asked, ignoring his suggestion.

"No one that comes to mind," he said stoically.

"Alright…" I moved on to my next question. "Do you know what Gadrin may have been doing before he was assassinated?"

Traachon shook his head in frustration. "No! I did not speak to him again after the meeting. I have no idea what happened to him." Traachon took a few moments to recompose himself. "Now, if there are no further questions, I really do have some important things to attend to."

I didn't have anything further to ask him, so we let him go. Apparently, helping us find Gadrin's assassin wasn't a top priority for the Elder.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Gathering Evidence**

Vortex and I were on our way back to the Perfect Paradise Resort, when Rumble approached us; I had been contemplating how, exactly, I was going to interview the Autobots, when the cassetticon caught my attention.

"Hey, Swindle," he said. "Thought you might wanna know – the Autobots have found something."

"A clue?" I asked.

Rumble shrugged. "Sorta. The security footage outside Gadrin's quarters at the place where he was stayin' the night of his assassination. They beat us to it."

"Did you get a chance to see it?"

"Yeah. I was able to lock onto the signal as Prowl played back the recording. Traachon talks to Gadrin briefly outside his hotel suite, and then he enters and stays for about fifteen minutes. Then he leaves… and then that's it," Rumble informed me. "The recording stops."

"Hm. So, Traachon did speak to Gadrin again after the meeting?" I said. Rumble nodded in the affirmative. "That's not what he told us, is it, Vortex?"

"Nope. Do you think he knows something?"

I paced the walkway, contemplating why Traachon had lied to us about that. "Not sure."

"Should we question him again?" Vortex offered.

I hesitated. It did sound like a fun idea, but I wanted a bit more information first. "Maybe later. Rumble, has Soundwave come across any useful information yet?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? I was just on my way to see him." Rumble waved for us to follow him.

Vortex and I accompanied the cassetticon to the Hub's central transmission tower – the main processing center for all electronic communications within the city. It was a secure area, off limits to ordinary personnel, but it couldn't keep Soundwave out. He had gotten inside, and had accessed one of the terminals connected to a network of databanks.

We found the communications expert just outside the tower. He answered my query without waiting to be asked. "Several outgoing messages, originating from Gadrin's quarters at the High Rise Inn, were transmitted over a twelve-hour period."

"Messages, hm… can you find out who he was sending them to?"

"Ambassador Shantar," Soundwave replied.

"Do you know what the messages contained?" I asked him.

"Negative. They are encrypted with a voice modulated code."

* * *

Our next stop was the High Rise Inn, but Gadrin's personal quarters were well off limits. Even the Autobots were having trouble getting permission from the Committee to enter his room. Apparently, there had been a delay because Gadrin's family had not been easily contactable, which was getting in the way of so called procedure. But every minute counted, and the delay could result in vital clues being overlooked if we didn't get inside the room.

"I have an idea," I said to Soundwave. We were on the ground floor of the Inn, in the main waiting area. "Wait right here." I grabbed Vortex by the arm. "I've got a small job for you."

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Just follow me," I said to him, and pointed to the elevators just beyond the reception desk. "Disable those lift doors, but make sure no one sees you. Then meet me at the reception desk."

Vortex shrugged and then nodded. "Whatever you say, Swindle." I watched him disappear inside the elevator as the doors closed silently behind him, and then made my way to the reception desk.

The Paradisian female behind the desk smiled at me. "What can I do for you today?"

"Well, hello there," I said, putting on my most charming smile – not even Starscream could have done it better. "I happen to be in town on some minor business and I came across this lovely little Inn on my way through. Oh, by the way, my name's Swindle." I could tell that she was immediately taken by my irresistible charm, and did not notice my optics resting upon the master key hanging around her neck.

"Hello, Swindle. Welcome to the High Rise Inn. I'm Tora." There were no other customers waiting behind me, so she relaxed, allowed herself to engage in friendly conversation. "Where did you say you're from?"

"Actually, I didn't. I'm a Decepticon, from Cybertron. Ever heard of us?"

She leaned across the desk, shook her head. "No, I can't say that I have. Oh, but I have met… Autobots? They're from Cybertron, too, aren't they? They seemed so nice."

"Oh, yeah, they're real nice all right," I said, smiling, although my fuel pump churned upon hearing about the nice Autobots. I glanced across at the elevators and saw Vortex returning. Good, right on cue.

"Hey, Swindle…" he said as he approached the desk, looking over at the Paradisian attendant.

"Vortex, this is Tora. Tora, this is my friend, Vortex." Tora smiled at him. "She says she's met the Autobots," I continued.

He made no reply; it was probably a good thing he sported a face mask. "The… elevator seems to be out of action," he said, after a moment.

Tora looked over to her right, her smile momentarily suspended by a look of concern. "Oh, that's no good..." she said, and headed over to the elevator to investigate.

We followed her, and watched as she tried to operate the control panel, but it was no use. She removed the master key from around her neck and attempted to override the elevator controls with it. "Well, that's unfortunate," she said, looking at the electronic device in her hands. "This should have overridden the controls. There must be a mechanical failure somewhere. I'll have to call maintenance. Excuse me," she said, shaking her head, and then rushed back to the reception desk.

I watched her reach for the inter-com device. As she did so, she placed the master key device on the desk beside her. "Is there anything we can do to help?" I offered graciously, attempting to distract her.

When she finished her call, she finally answered me. "Oh no, thank you. Someone will be here in just a few minutes."

Another customer had just approached the desk, and as Tora attended to his needs, she momentarily forget about Vortex and I as she left the desk to give the customer directions to the back-up elevators. That was all I needed. I quickly reached behind the desk and grabbed the master key before anyone could see me, and then quickly headed back towards Soundwave and Rumble. "Thanks, Tora – this'll only take a moment," I said quietly to myself, and held out the master key for Soundwave to scan. Once he'd done so, I replaced the key back on the desk just as Tora was returning. She smiled at me, and was none the wiser.

Less than a minute later, we were inside Gadrin's quarters. Soundwave worked quickly, accessing and retrieving data from the room's private terminal, while Rumble and I searched for anything that might look like a clue. The quarters were neat and sparse. There were some unopened bottles of organic fuel in a cooling unit, and what looked like the remains of a couple of candles.

"Soundwave… can you scan for prints or other organic residues?" I said, once he was done accessing the computer.

"Affirmative," he said, and a full spectrum light beam emanated from the crest on his helm. The beam broadened and flattened out, and began to scan the entire room from top to bottom. It only took him about a minute. "The emissions from an undifferentiated Cybertronian signature indicates that Traachon was here recently," he said.

"Huh. Well, that's no surprise," Rumble commented. Indeed, the video surveillance had corroborated this fact.

"Interpreting spectral analysis…" Soundwave spoke again, and we all waited quietly to see what else he had to say. "Ambassador Shantar was also here recently."

The outgoing messages, the candles… and now Shantar's visit to Gadrin's personal quarters; all of this told me that the two of them had been closer than we thought.

"Looks like they were seein' each other, if you know what I mean?" Rumble said, beating me to it.

"My thoughts exactly." I thought for a moment. "But that still doesn't tell us anything about the assassin. Traachon did not want us to know that he was here… but as far as I can work out, he has no motive. Shantar, however…"

"Do you think she has something to do with it?" Rumble asked me.

"It's certainly possible, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions. Not just yet." I turned back towards the communications expert. "Have you found anything else, Soundwave?"

"Affirmative," he answered. "I have decrypted the contents of the transmissions…"

This would be interesting, I was sure. "Oh?"

"They seem to suggest multiple offers for interaction, including an agreed rendezvous at The Ambrosia establishment for organic sustenance."

"So, they went on a dinner date, how romantic," I said, with a certain amount of scepticism. "Well, let's get down there and check the place out."

* * *

The Ambrosia was located right in the heart of the Hub. It was surrounded by a range of other entertainment outlets and overlooked a private pond. I've got to admit that it must have looked kind of strange – a bunch of Decepticons walking into a place meant for organics – I could tell by the odd looks the patrons were giving us as we walked through; it's not something that happens too often, let me assure you. But they soon returned to their meals, and we were quickly greeted by one of the waiters there with that typical, Paradisian warm welcome.

"Hello… welcome to The Ambrosia. We have a table available right over here, if you would all care to follow me?" He said, indicating to a spot near the window. I could tell that he was trying not to judge the fact that we were mechanoids, and not designed to make efficient use of the restaurant's menu selections.

"We're not here for your service, but thanks for the offer," I said to him. "We're here to investigate a crime."

The waiter's expression became worried. "A crime? But… we were not aware that any crime has been committed at The Ambrosia…"

"Take it easy. We didn't say it happened here, did we?" Rumble said to him.

"It'd really help our investigation if you could answer any questions, though," I continued.

The waiter looked at us curiously. "May I ask… what sort of crime might you be investigating?"

Vortex answered him. "Representative Gadrin was assassinated."

The waiter's complexion seemed to turn ashen with the news. I always find it curious how the color and electrical properties of an organics' outer covering quickly change according to the way they are feeling. It isn't very good for keeping secrets, if you ask me. "Representative Gadrin? It can't be true! But… are you certain of this?" He looked away, as if he needed a few moments to gather his thoughts. "He was here only yesterday evening…"

"That's why we're here. Can you tell us anything at all about his visit that might help our investigation?" I asked him.

He hesitated, looked back at us uncertainly, and then he slowly shook his head. "No, nothing unusual. He came here regularly."

"Was he with anyone?"

"Hm… why, yes… now that I recall. A stately looking female… not a native of Paradisia, certainly. He arrived before her, perhaps… twenty minutes earlier? Yes."

"Sounds like he was with our Ambassador," Vortex said to me.

"Mind if we take a look around?" I said to the waiter. He nodded, albeit with some reluctance, probably because he didn't want to alarm the other patrons. "Don't worry; we'll be out of here in no time."

A quick scan of each table enabled Soundwave to pinpoint exactly where Gadrin and Shantar had shared their meal together. But, other than the remains of a seafood platter, there was nothing to suggest that there might have been foul play. "Let's check the back," I suggested, as I led the way through to the rest rooms.

Did I say we looked strange walking into this place? Well, that's nothing compared to what it must have looked like to the nice lady who had just walked out of the waste extraction cubicle. I gave her a friendly wave, ignoring the puzzled expression on her face as she stared at us. "Don't mind us. We'll only be a minute," was all I said to her.

We searched the females' rest room, and that's when we came across what I believe to be our first major clue. Soundwave had stopped to focus on a particular spot on the wash basin. "Conducting chemical analysis…"

As we waited for him to complete his analysis, I received an incoming transmission from Thundercracker. He and Skywarp had been assigned to keep a general optic on things at the Hub. "Swindle?"

"That's me. Go ahead."

"Can you get to the Central Hall? We're going to need some help over here."

I didn't ask him what the problem was – we'd be there soon enough. "We'll be right there." I looked towards Soundwave, eager to hear what he had found. "Soundwave?"

"Traces of potassium cyanide powder detected."

Rumble looked at me quizzically. "Hey, what a second… wasn't Gadrin poisoned with that stuff?"

"Rumble – you're absolutely right," I said, as I held the door to the rest room open for the others. Then we left The Ambrosia in a hurry, and made our way towards the Central Hall close by.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Acts of Sabotage**

There was commotion just outside the Hall, where a large crowd of onlookers had gathered. In the center of the crowd, Representative Karlin was attempting to hold off an angry mob of Paradisians. Thundercracker and Skywarp were doing their best to protect him, but there were too many protesters as they started to successfully push their way past the two seekers.

Rumble and I forced our way through the crowd. "What's going on?" I asked Thundercracker.

"Gadrin's family have finally decided to show up. They're demanding justice," he explained.

"Justice? For what?" I asked him, as I joined in the effort to help keep the angry Paradisians at bay.

"They think Karlin had something to do with Gadrin's murder." This didn't come as any surprise, considering Karlin's pro-Decepticon stance – which was at odds with Gadrin's own.

I attempted to talk some sense into the angry mob, requesting that they back down and allow us time to complete our investigation, but my usual charisma wasn't dazzling them this time. So, I gave up on that idea. "You two take Karlin to some place safe. The rest of us can handle things from here."

With that, the two seekers took hold of Karlin and lifted him high up into the air, before flying away in the direction of the Resort. Once they were out of sight, I fired a shot from my shoulder-mounted blaster into the air. That did the trick, as the large crowd of onlookers ducked for some cover and began to disperse.

"All right, everyone clear the area!" Vortex said, helping to direct the crowd away.

"What do you think you're doing, Swindle?" A voice called out suddenly from somewhere behind me. Even before I turned around to face him, I knew who it was.

"Is there a problem, Prime?" I said, maintaining my cool.

Optimus had arrived at our location and was standing behind me. A few of the Autobots – Cliffjumper, Prowl and Bluestreak – were with him, their weapons drawn towards us. "You know the rules – any use of weapons is forbidden," he reminded me.

"Perhaps you ought to put away your own weapons, then," I replied, pointing to the other Autobots' blasters. "I'm sure you wouldn't want _them_ to break any rules."

"Don't lie, Swindle. We saw you firing a shot at the crowd!" Cliffjumper pointed back at us.

"Hey, watch who you're callin' a liar, Auto- _runt_!" Rumble called out in my defense.

"Looks who's calling _me_ a runt! Why I oughta–"

"That's enough!" Optimus Prime interjected, before looking back towards me. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. We–" I was about to explain, but was cut off by someone pushing past me from Gadrin's small group of supporters.

"I'll tell you what happened. _They're_ protecting the assassin!" It was a tall, Paradisian male. He was pointing accusingly at us as he spoke. Two other Paradisians stood beside him – another male and a female.

"That's not true. _They_ were about to assault Karlin," Vortex responded, pointing towards the three Paradisians. "So we got him out of here."

Optimus hesitated. "Then why was your weapon fired?"

"Crowd control," I answered calmly. The Autobot leader appraised the situation, and then indicated for the three Autobots to back down. "But it's a good thing you're here, Prime," I told him.

"And why is that?" Optimus replied uncertainly.

I pointed a thumb towards Gadrin's friendly lot. "We'll let _you_ deal with these guys…" Then I started to walk away without waiting for a response, as Vortex, Rumble and Soundwave followed my lead. "Come on, Decepticons, let's clear out."

* * *

Back at the Resort, Karlin was most thankful for his impromptu rescue, though he still appeared shaken by the recent experience. Thundercracker and Skywarp had taken him back to our quarters, and Soundwave, Rumble, Vortex and I had met up with them a short time later. "I… guess I should have expected it," he explained to us. "It was no secret that Gadrin and I did not see eye to eye on many things."

"That's no excuse for them treating you like that," Rumble said to him.

"That is true." Karlin nodded, and then smiled. "I want you all to know that as soon as Gadrin's assassin is apprehended, I shall be putting in a very high recommendation to First Representative Mabus for the inclusion of Decepticon representation on our Committee."

"In the meantime, though, we've got to ensure you don't become the target of another assassination," Thundercracker pointed out. "It's probably best you stay with us, at least until all this is over."

Karlin contemplated his words, nodding in acknowledgment. "Yes… that might be wise. However, I am afraid that this… will never be over. There will always be those who want to deny you any chance at a partnership with Paradisia, and… now that Gadrin has been tragically removed… it will only serve to reinforce their sentiments."

"Well, let's hope that _they_ are in the minority, at least," Vortex commented.

I recalled Karlin mentioning that he'd had a disagreement with Gadrin before he died, and thought I'd ask him about it again, whilst we had him here. "What happened between you two after the meeting yesterday?"

Karlin looked over at me and sighed, his eyes downcast. "After the meeting, the Committee reconvened in private to discuss Starscream's proposal. Needless to say, it did not go well. Both Gadrin and Traachon insisted that Mabus declare hostile any Decepticon who would attempt to deny a Paridisian vessel safe passage through Cybertronian space. I protested such a course of action, stating that this would undoubtedly lead to conflict with your species. Alpha Trion also perceived this to be an unnecessary course of action."

"So, that's when things got heated?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yes. Gadrin suggested that I had violated the terms of membership of the Committee, claiming that I was not acting in the best interests of the Cybertronian-Paradisian alliance, and demanded that I be replaced as soon as possible."

"So, what happened next?" Skywarp asked, curious.

"Mabus overruled him… and then suspended the meeting," Karlin said, and we could tell that he was still in a state of distress after that event.

"Wait a second…" Thundercracker said, as he attempted to figure out exactly what had happened. "One would think that whoever killed Gadrin would have been opposed to his ideals – to what he was trying to do… right?"

"One would think," Vortex said.

"That doesn't make any of _us_ look good," Rumble reasoned. It was obvious that no one in the room felt comfortable about what that might imply, especially Karlin.

"But… if it wasn't Karlin who killed Gadrin… and it wasn't any of us…" Skywarp said, making a sweeping motion with his hand as he continued Thundercracker's line of reasoning.

"Then who else would have done it?" Thundercracker finished.

"There is no doubt… that I do appear to be the most likely suspect," Karlin said, breaking a momentary silence.

"Hold on a moment…" I said to the Representative, as I started to entertain an alternative possible explanation in my mind. "Let's look at this from an entirely different perspective, before anyone declares you guilty." All audio receptors were now on me, so I continued. "What if… whoever killed Gadrin, wanted it to _look like_ it was one of us?"

"Hey… I hadn't thought of that!" Rumble said, intrigued.

Thundercracker nodded, his arms folded with a hand on his chin. "You know… you might actually be onto something, Swindle." He looked over at the Representative. "What do you think?"

Karlin nodded. "Well, it's certainly a possibility. But… who would do such a thing?"

"Don't worry. You just leave the mystery solving part up to us," I said to him, feeling confident. "We'll find your assassin."

* * *

A short while later, Scavenger and Hook returned to join the rest of us in our guest quarters. They had completed a thorough search of the entire Resort and its surrounds, and were eager to tell us what they'd discovered.

"What did you find?" Rumble asked them.

"Not much, other than the fact that someone has placed a listening device in our room," Hook replied acerbically. He held out a small object in his hand.

"Let me see that," Skywarp said, as Hook handed him the object. The black and purple seeker examined it in disbelief. "You mean… someone's been spying on us?"

"That would appear to be the case, yes," Hook replied. "Though, probably not since I removed it earlier this afternoon."

"That's not all we found," Scavenger added. "Show him, Hook."

The Constructicon engineer held out his hand once again, and Thundercracker took the second object from his palm. He held it up for the others to see. "This one looks like one of ours," the blue and grey seeker observed. "Where'd you find it?"

"In the Autobots' guest quarters…" Hook explained. "It's a clever replica of our technology, but it's most certainly not ours."

"Whoever bugged the Autobots' room… wanted them to find it," Scavenger explained. "And wanted the Autobots to think it was us."

"You searched the Autobots' room as well?" Thundercracker asked them, amused.

"Don't look at me. It was his idea," Hook replied, pointing a thumb at his partner.

"Well, leave no stone unturned, right?" Scavenger said.

"Right." Thundercracker grinned. "No one can accuse you of not being thorough, at least."

"If there's some way to find out exactly where those gizmos came from, it could give us a clue about who might've placed them in our rooms," I suggested.

Karlin got up from his seat and walked over to me. "I think I can help with that. I'll have them sent to our lab, top priority – It shouldn't take too long to get a result." Thundercracker and Skywarp handed him the two objects, and he started towards the door.

Thundercracker followed after him. "I'd better stay with him… just in case."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **The Autobots**

When Vortex and I approached the Autobots to question them as part of our investigation, they thought we were joking. Actually, our encounter with them wasn't planned – they were all seated in the Resort lounge when we happened to walk past – so I figured it was as good a time as any.

"We just want to be thorough with our investigation. Everyone's a possible suspect, remember?" I told Optimus Prime.

Brawn gave me an apprehensive look. "Well, then, to be fair we should question all of you as well."

I shrugged. "Go ahead. We got nothing to hide," I replied, rather dismissively. "So, how about you start by telling us what you were all doing yesterday after the meeting?"

"Or, how about we start by having us shove your questions up your exhaust pipes?" Brawn, apparently, was not in a particularly good mood.

"We'll agree to answer questions, if they're reasonable," Prime told me, overriding Brawn. "We have nothing to fear from you."

"But, Prime… it might be a trick," Cliffjumper said, his fist clenched into a tight ball. "I wouldn't trust any Decepticon, not even if they're asking questions!"

Cliffjumper's comment made Jazz laugh. "Cool your transistors, Cliff. Asking simple questions never caused anyone any harm."

"Let's just see how this goes," Optimus said, attempting to find a middle ground. "If it gets too difficult, we'll stop." He looked back towards us. "We each went our separate ways… before returning here at the Resort at the end of the day."

"Okay," I said. "Let's start with you, Optimus. What did you do?"

He hesitated, cleared his vocal processor. "After spending some time discussing the meeting's events with Prowl and Ratchet here at the Resort's bar, Representative Gadrin requested to see me."

"Hm. What did he want to see you about?"

Brawn was watching us closely, arms crossed in front of him. "That's none of your business…" He said in a low voice. He looked ready to pounce on us the moment he thought we'd said something wrong.

Prime ignored him. "He was distressed. He had serious concerns regarding Representative Karlin."

"Oh, and why would that be?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"I think you know the reason why," Prime responded, seeing through my pretence. "Besides, I made him a promise that I would keep those details confidential."

"Well, considering Gadrin isn't with us anymore, I don't think that matters," Vortex said.

Bluestreak spoke up in rebuttal. "Keeping a promise might not mean anything to a Decepticon, but it sure matters to _us_ ," he said, pointing a thumb at himself.

I ignored him and decided to move on to my next question. "Did you see or hear anything unusual yesterday? Anything at all… even if it might seem irrelevant?"

Prime thought for a minute, and then slowly shook his head. "No… I'm afraid not."

"Are you aware of anyone who may have spoken to or approached Gadrin, other than yourselves?"

Prime shrugged. "Only Ambassador Shantar. He'd mentioned to me that he was planning on spending the evening with her. That's all I know."

"Okay," I said. "Did Traachon happen to mention to you that he'd paid Gadrin a visit that same evening?"

Prime looked at us suspiciously. "How'd you know about that?" I gave him a smug look. "Regardless… I don't see the relevance. Traachon is _not_ a suspect. He is a highly respected and trusted Elder of the Cybertronian High Council."

"Maybe to Autobots he is. Besides, we're all suspects, remember?" Vortex reminded him, but Prime ignored him.

I looked around at the other Autobots, picked my next interrogee. "Prowl, where were you after the meeting yesterday?"

The Autobots' second-in-charge looked back at me. He seemed to be appraising me, as if trying to figure out what I was really up to. But then he answered my question. "As Prime already mentioned, he, Ratchet and I got together to discuss the meeting. I returned briefly to our guest quarters to update Cybertron Command on the status of our mission, before Ratchet and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Hub."

"Uh-huh. Where, exactly, around the Hub?" I asked, ignoring Brawn's sour looks.

Ratchet answered my next question. "I wanted to learn more about Paradisia's robotics industry, so I visited the Center for Advanced Robotic Systems."

"I went to the Great Library," Prowl finished. There was a moment of silence as I looked at them both expectantly. "I witnessed nothing unusual. We returned to the Resort, and then entered into our recharge cycle."

"I see. Same with you… Ratchet?" The Autobot medic simply nodded. "Okay. What about the rest of you? Did any of you witness anything unusual or out of the ordinary?"

"What, you mean other than seeing a bunch of Decepticons in Paradise?" Cliffjumper said bitterly.

Vortex pointed a finger at him threateningly. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Auto-twerp."

"Just try me… Decepti- _crumb_ ," the mini-bot said in response, as Wheeljack placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

Optimus interjected, breaking up the small dispute. "Cliffjumper, please… just answer the question."

The small Autobot backed down, sighing in resignation. "Brawn and I, we… well, we returned to that cavern with all the crystallite in it…"

He sounded hesitant, and I was curious to know more. "Oh. Why's that?"

"That's none of your business," Brawn replied.

"Brawn…" Prime reminded him.

I gave the mini-bot an expectant look, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "Well?"

Brawn grumbled. "All right… so I wanted another go at the energizer, so what?" Vortex and I broke out in laughter upon hearing his response, and he scowled, held both his fists out in front of him. "Give me one good reason… just one good reason…" He threatened in a low voice.

I tried to stifle my amusement. "Uh, okay. Who's next?"

That Beachcomber Autobot offered to talk next. His attitude seemed far more reasonable than the two mini-bots. "Hoist and I went to see more of the spectacular sights," he said. "We just _love_ this place, don't we, Hoist?" Hoist nodded in agreement. "It's like no other planet in the galaxy. I'm definitely planning on spending more of my down time here."

"Well, that's real nice and everything," Vortex said, "but did either of you notice anything while you were out sightseeing?"

"Hm… well, no… not exactly," Beachcomber replied, and then paused in contemplation. "The only Hub activity we saw were all the different ships coming in to land at the space port… you remember, don't you, Hoist?" Hm, that gave me an idea.

"Yeah, sure do. You can see everything from the lookout in the southern mountain ranges."

"Okay. Who's left… Jazz, Bluestreak, and…" I started.

"Wheeljack," Jazz finished for me, and when the other two mentioned Autobots didn't offer to speak straight away, he continued. "Well, as for me, I was eager to explore downtown. Get a feel for the local music scene, know what I mean?"

"Did you happen to notice anything that might help identify Gadrin's killer? Other than the local scene, that is."

Jazz laughed at my pun. Like Beachcomber, he didn't seem too fazed by the fact that he was having a conversation with Decepticons, which was a nice change of pace, if truth be told. "You know, now that you mention it – I did see Gadrin and his lady friend leave one of those fancy restaurants they have there, right in the center of town."

"The Ambrosia, right?" I said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The name of that restaurant. It was The Ambrosia, correct?"

Jazz thought for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "Hey, you know… I think you're right. Yeah. The Ambrosia it certainly was."

"Did you notice anything suspicious?" I pressed.

"Hm. Well, let's see now…" Jazz placed a hand under his chin, as he held a container of energon in his other hand. "I wouldn't say I saw anything suspicious. Gadrin and the lady Ambassador left the restaurant together, and were picked up by a chauffer."

"Did you happen to see what the chauffer looked like?" I questioned.

Jazz nodded. "Yeah… as a matter of fact I did. It was our friend Talak."

Jazz's information may or may not have been useful, but it didn't hurt to ask. "What about the transport vehicle?"

"Nothing special. Courtesy of the High Rise Inn, going by the writing on the front of it."

"Thanks… Jazz," I said to him, enjoying the sour looks Brawn was still giving us.

"You're welcome," Jazz replied.

"Are you done interrogating us yet?" Cliffjumper's tone was impatient, unfriendly.

"Uh, nope, not yet," I replied, looking at the gathered Autobots to see who else I could question. "Wheeljack, right?"

"Who, me?" The Autobot engineer sat up, alert. "So, um, what can I tell ya?"

"Where were you after yesterday's meeting?"

"Well, uh, let's see…" Wheeljack leaned back in his seat. "After the meeting, Bluestreak and I, we just came straight back here. I wanted to explore more of the Resort's… entertainment facilities. And, um – besides… after that energizer… I needed a bit more time to recover." He laughed at the memory of his recent experience. Then I asked him if he'd noticed anyone suspicious entering or leaving the Resort. "No… I can't say that I did. Only Talak… and your group's guide… what's his name again? Solan."

I nodded in acknowledgment, and then looked back towards Prime. "All right, I think I'm done here. Thanks." I turned and walked away, not waiting for a response, as Vortex followed after me.

"Swindle, wait…" I heard Prime call out, and I hesitated, turned around. "So, uh… are you any closer to identifying the assassin?" He asked me.

I wasn't prepared to tell him what we'd found out so far; I was determined to solve this case for the Decepticons, and didn't want to give the Autobots any heads-up. "Nah," I replied, before Vortex and I left for the space port to catch up with the two Constructicons.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **The Ship**

The space port consisted of a large, undercover area with all kinds of space ships and air crafts inside. I had expected there to be more activity, though, until I noticed that the place was teeming with Paradisian security guards.

"They wouldn't let us have a look around," Scavenger explained, as the four of us walked through into the main waiting area. "'Strictly no visitors beyond this point,' they said." He pointed towards the check-in booth just before the main gates.

"Did you explain to them that we're here on an official investigation?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah, we tried telling 'em that," he replied, indicating Hook and himself, "But they wouldn't listen."

I started to walk towards the booth. "Let's see if I can't change their minds. Come on," I said, and motioned for the other three to follow.

I offered the check-in attendant a charming smile as I approached the counter and, as per usual, it seemed to work. Or, it could have just been the fact that not many Paradisians got to talk to mechanoids like us every day – especially not Decepticons.

The male attendant smiled back at us. "Hello. Please be advised that all outgoing inter-planetary flights have been temporarily suspended."

"Yeah, we know. Actually that's why we're here." I tapped a finger on my Decepticon insignia, but the assistant gave me a blank look. "We're part of the official investigation team."

A female assistant walked up to the attendant behind the counter. "Oh, I've already spoken to those other two," she whispered to him.

The male nodded and cleared his throat. "My sincerest apologies, but we are under strict instructions to restrict all unnecessary activity, except under special orders–"

"Well, that's no problem. If you'll just get in touch with Representative Karlin, he'll be happy to explain."

The male attendant shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you're best to wait until the ban has been lifted. It shouldn't be too long now. We thank you for your continued patience," he said, smiling.

"See… told you," Scavenger said behind me, but I wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Perhaps you've misunderstood – this is a matter of urgency. We're here on a top secret mission, and if you prevent us from carrying out our directive, you're going to be in serious trouble," I said to the two attendants. Then I added, more as an afterthought than anything else, "And… you'll have to answer to Optimus Prime and the Inter-Planetary Committee."

The female attendant's face suddenly lit up. "You mean _the_ Optimus Prime? Well, why didn't you say so before?" She smiled at us, beckoned us to step closer.

"Uh, yeah… you know him?" I said.

"Well, sure. I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance several months back. He was most interested in finding out everything about our world," she explained. I bet he was. "So… are you four Autobots as well, then?"

"No, we're De–" Vortex began, but I elbowed him and he quickly shut up.

"We – uh, I mean, yeah. Yes, mmhm. Yes we are," I lied, nodding uncomfortably. Vortex gave me one of his looks, but I ignored it, mentally told him to just go along with it. "See?" I tapped my insignia again, and my theory was confirmed as she nodded agreeably; she'd probably never even heard of a Decepticon before, let alone been able to tell the difference between the two factions.

"Any friend of Optimus Prime is a friend of mine." Her smile broadened. "Of course, we'd be more than happy to assist you with your mission, if we can."

"We can handle things from here," I replied authoritatively. "We'll just need access to your flight schedule…" I pointed to their computer terminal behind the counter, and then behind me to Scavenger and Hook. "Meanwhile, my two assistants will need to conduct a quick search of the space port."

"Oh, I see," she said, as she stepped aside while Vortex and I moved around behind the counter. "No problem… I'll let security know."

The two attendants watched intently as I accessed their flight computer. "We're going to have to insist on a bit of privacy. It's a matter of security, you understand," I said, looking up at them. "We won't take long." They looked at us uncertainly, but then stepped away.

When the two attendants were safely out of ear shot, the two Constructicons approached the counter.

"Well, that was easy," Hook commented, pleasantly surprised, and then, amusedly, "Your _assistants_ are at your service."

"Don't mention it," I replied. "We'll meet you two back outside once you're done."

With that, Hook nodded in acknowledgment and turned to walk away, taking hold of Scavenger's arm as the excavator became distracted by a trailer full of precious cargo nearby. One of the attendants then showed them through into the space port, past the security guards.

Vortex and I worked as quickly as we could. Within a few seconds, I had yesterday's flight log displayed on the monitor.

"So, what are we looking for?" Vortex asked me.

"Any arrivals or departures from the Orbita cluster," I informed him. "It might help us find out whether our Ambassador was still on Paradisia around the time Gadrin was assassinated."

"That's good thinking." Vortex helped me scan the list of flights, and then pointed at the monitor. "Hey… look, right there."

I took a closer look at the entry. "Hm, that's interesting. It appears there was an unscheduled arrival and departure yesterday."

"Does it identify the ship, or who was on it?"

"Let's see." I hit a few more keys, and shook my head. "There doesn't seem to be one, and it won't let me access the ship's record."

"Check earlier flights. Go back about a week," Vortex said, and I did as he suggested.

"Nope, nothing so far…" I said, as the flight log scrolled further back in time. "Oh, wait a second… a scheduled arrival from Orbita." I tried retrieving the ship's record and passenger list, and this time I was successful. "There she is. She arrived on Planet Paradise six days ago."

I downloaded the details of her flight, as well as the basic entry for the mystery ship, and then returned the display back to the original screen.

As we exited the space port, I received an incoming communication from Starscream. "Astrotrain has intercepted our Ambassador. I'll Inform Mabus. Meet us back at the Central Hall. I think we're all going to be very interested to hear what she has to say."

* * *

Even before Vortex and I stepped inside the Hall, we could hear a multitude of voices all talking at once from several mechano-meters away, though it probably didn't help that sound carried really well through the majestic, dome-shaped structure.

"Uh, the Autobots are here as well," Vortex observed. As we got closer, Prime's voice was unmistakeable, as was Starscream's.

"We found her, so we should be allowed to question her," our Air Commander was saying.

Representative Mabus was listening to the conversation, along with the two Autobot Elders. The Ambassador stood beside Mabus and Optimus Prime, as everyone formed a wide semi-circle inside the Central Hall. Save for the two Constructicons, we Decepticons were all here as well.

The Ambassador appeared to be in a state of shock. I walked across to the assembled group and stood beside Rumble. He looked up and spoke to me in a low voice. "The Ambassador reckons she had no idea that Gadrin…" He made a sweeping motion with his hand across his neck, indicating the Representative's demise. "She says she only found out a short while ago from Starscream, when Astrotrain brought her here."

"Representative Mabus… please… I am required on Orbita as a matter of urgency. I must be allowed to return home!" The Ambassador pleaded with the First Representative.

Mabus looked at her somberly. "My sincerest apologies, Ambassador, but under the circumstances I cannot allow you to leave Paridisia – for your own safety, as well as ours."

"If I may offer a suggestion to the Committee," Prime began, not taking his optics off the Ambassador, or Starscream. "We would be more than happy to escort the Ambassador back to her home world."

"We object!" Starscream interjected, before the Committee could respond. "Why should she be given special favour? For all we know, she could be responsible for Gadrin's termination."

The Ambassador did not take that comment very well, and before the Hall erupted into a furor, Optimus took a step forward to intervene. "Forgive him, Ambassador, he meant no offense… we are _all_ under investigation, until the Committee has been able to determine… exactly what happened." He paused, not wanting to upset the Ambassador any more than she already was. "The news of Gadrin's passing must have affected you deeply."

Shantar seemed to calm down somewhat, her eyes downcast. "Yes… it did," she replied, directing her gaze at Starscream. Then she looked back at Mabus. "Your investigation could take days, maybe even weeks… please, Representative… I must return to my home world where I am needed."

No one spoke as Mabus considered the situation. "If the Committee agrees, I will recommend that the Ambassador be allowed to return to Orbita… on one condition." He looked at her as he informed us of his decision. "The Ambassador will do her best to assist the Autobots… and the Decepticons… in their investigation."

There was murmuring amongst the Autobots. The Ambassador seemed more than a little displeased with Mabus' recommendation.

"Thank you, Representative," Starscream said with a satisfied smirk.

Optimus looked at Shantar, and then replied on behalf of the Autobots. "We won't be needing your assistance, Ambassador. We are more than happy to allow you to return home immediately." Typical response from Prime; I think we all expected him to say something like that.

Mabus gave them a slight nod, before turning to the two Elders. "Are we in agreement, then?" Alpha Trion nodded affirmatively while Traachon, though he did not seem entirely pleased with the recommendation, did not protest it. Mabus then turned to Starscream. "I think it is safe to say that Representative Karlin would also agree. Very well, it is decided. Ambassador Shantar shall make herself available for questioning, as you requested."

"After you, Ambassador," Starscream said to her, with a sweeping motion of his hand. She gave him an unfriendly glare, and then strode out of the Hall without turning back. "Swindle, don't release her until you've gotten a complete confession out of her," Starscream said, once Shantar was out of hearing range. "Also double check her alibi, if she has one. Vortex, go with him. Make sure she doesn't try anything stupid."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **The Ambassador**

There was an unused annex adjacent to the Central Hall, where Vortex and I could conduct our interrogation. A couple of security guards had been posted at the entrance to the room. Shantar proved to be quite uncooperative, for the most part, to the point where even my own patience was tested.

"This is simply humiliating. It is a mockery, and an insult, to Gerdel's memory." Shantar sat with her arms crossed, glaring back at each of us with a look that could slice through metal.

"Gerdel?" I asked, ignoring her contempt.

She sighed heavily, looked up impatiently at the high ceiling. "Gadrin."

"Look, we only want to ask you a few questions. This doesn't have to be difficult," I said, trying to reason with her.

But it didn't work as I'd intended. "You Decepticons should never have come here," she said suddenly, strong derision evident in her voice. "Gerdel was right all along. Mabus has made a huge mistake inviting you all here in the first place."

"Personal sentiments aside, we still need to find Gadrin's killer–"

She snorted disdainfully, cutting me off. "Isn't it obvious?" I looked at her uncertainly, and she shook her head incredulously. "Perhaps you should question your proud Air Commander… or one of your other cohorts. Or, perhaps it was you?" She said to me.

Vortex leaned forward, placed his hands on the table. "Look, lady, we had no reason to execute your precious Gadrin. Believe me, we've got better things to do than waste our time listening to your useless insults." His tone was one of subdued anger, and I was glad that he had stepped in, particularly when the Ambassador finally got the message.

She looked away in defiance, appeared to back down a little. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

"Suits us just fine," I said, giving Vortex a grateful nod. "So… how about we start with your recent non-appearance? Where were you since Gadrin was found dead in his hotel room early this morning?"

"I… I'd been asked by our leaders back home to collect some data regarding inter-species relations amongst the inhabitants of this planet. I wanted to get an early start so I headed out to the Research Center first thing this morning."

I paced slowly across the room as she spoke. "So… you had no idea what had happened to Gadrin?"

"That's right."

"When did you arrive on Paradisia?"

She looked at me critically. "About… six days ago."

"Uh-huh. Who accompanied you?" I continued.

She shrugged impatiently. "My crew… and a small team of personal assistants."

"Including Talak?" I asked her. She waved her hand dismissively. "Was he with you when you arrived here?"

"Well… yes, he would have accompanied me."

"'Would have?' But you're not a hundred per cent sure?" I probed.

"Well, of course he was with me, along with everyone else. My ship was the only one scheduled to have arrived here from the Orbita exchange."

I slowly nodded, listening carefully. "Would you mind telling me the name of your ship?"

"Name? Our ships don't have names. They have numerical identifiers and no, I don't know what it is. Why don't you try asking one of my crew?"

"That won't be necessary." I paused, paced up and back in thought. "When was the last time you saw Gadrin alive?" She sighed impatiently, and I repeated, "Please, answer the question."

"We… met for lunch downtown yesterday afternoon, sometime after our meeting. Then he invited me back to his hotel. I stayed a short while, but I had to leave early to prepare my research notes. That was the last time I saw him," she replied.

"Who else was with you when you met Gadrin for lunch?"

She looked at me quizzically. "It was just the two of us. We shared a meal together. Is that a crime?"

"No, I'm just asking a question, Ambassador, nothing more." I stood near the table directly across from her, studying her intently. "And the rest of your… team? Where were they?"

"They were probably busy helping me organize my research appointment. You're welcome to question them if you wish." She paused for a moment. "However, I don't see how it's going to get you anywhere… I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"The name's Swindle."

"Swindle," she repeated. "Of course it is." She might have said those last words with more than a little sarcasm, but then again sarcasm seemed to be a natural personality trait of hers.

"Were you aware that Traachon had also paid Gadrin a personal visit the night before he was assassinated?"

She shook her head. "No. He never mentioned anything to me about that."

"Do you have any idea who might have wanted him dead?" I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the obvious question.

"No. None at all." She looked at me in frustration. "There's really nothing more I can tell you."

I studied her for a while longer, and then slowly began pacing again. I contacted Soundwave over my private com. "I need you to check the visitor log at the Research Center – find out when the Ambassador arrived, and the time that she left." Soundwave acknowledged my request, and then disconnected the com.

I looked back at Shantar. "Just one last thing, Ambassador – I'll need a list of names of all your personal attendants who arrived here with you, and then we're done." She looked back at me dispassionately, but did not protest my request.

"To check against her flight's passenger list," I explained to Vortex quietly. "We can let her go as soon as Soundwave's confirmed her story."

* * *

After one of Shantar's assistants handed over that list of names I'd requested, Vortex and I headed back to the Central Hall, where we met up again with the others. Representative Karlin was there, standing beside Starscream; he had been patiently waiting to see me. The two Constructicons had also returned.

Karlin greeted us warmly. "Ah, there you are, my friends. I trust that all went well with the Ambassador?"

I shrugged. "As well as it could have gone, considering her obvious unfriendliness towards Decepticons."

"I see…" Karlin nodded in understanding, and then looked down at a data crystal in his hand. "We have the lab results."

"Yes… tell them what you found, Representative," Starscream said.

"As you are aware, the device that Hook and Scavenger retrieved from the Autobots' room does appear to be Decepticon technology. However, the components and materials used for the construction of either device did not originate from any Cybertronian source," Karlin explained.

"And where did the materials originate from, Representative?" Our Air Commander prompted. Obviously, Starscream had been informed about the Constructicons' earlier discovery and was already aware of the results of the lab tests.

"Orbita," Karlin informed us.

"Orbita, huh?" Vortex repeated. "I'll bet the Ambassador will have something to say about that."

"I will make a recommendation to Representative Mabus that she remains here," Karlin announced. "I believe we have enough evidence to detain her for further questioning."

Once he'd left to make his recommendation, I asked the two Constructicons if they'd found anything at the space port.

"Nothing unusual. There's a ship awaiting departure from the Orbita exchange," Hook informed me, "but that's no surprise."

"The Ambassador's ship, no doubt," I said, thinking out loud. "Anything else?"

"I did pick up a weaker energy signature from an Orbital ship. At first I thought it was coming from her ship, but then I noticed that it was actually a separate one," Scavenger explained. "There must have been two different ships there at some point… but there's only one there now."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

"It does?" The Constructicon asked.

"Yes. There _were_ two Orbital ships at the space port."

Vortex filled in the rest for me. "The unscheduled flight," he said in realization.

"Yes." I looked across the Hall at Traachon, who was listening to a conversation between the two Representatives. "Come on; let's go speak to Traachon again. There's something that's been bothering me."

"Traachon, mind if we have another word?" I said to him, as Vortex and I approached him.

"What about?" He replied warily.

"In private," I said, ignoring his question. "Or not – suits us either way."

He sighed disapprovingly, but then stepped aside and out of earshot of the others. "What is it now?"

"Do you want to explain why you lied to us?"

The Elder looked at us with disdain, and he became angry. "How dare you accuse me of lying? Do you think I am not aware of the kind of games you Decepticons like to play?"

I remained calm, but beneath my exterior I was starting to get more than a little frustrated with the Elder's attitude. "This is no game. You told us that you did not speak to Gadrin again after the meeting. That was a lie, wasn't it?" He did not reply, so I pushed the issue. "I hope you realize that by giving us misleading information, you're violating multiple codes, and jeopardizing your position on the Committee. I'm sure you don't want the rest of 'em to find out you'd lied when questioned about Gadrin's assassination, do you?" I tilted my head towards Mabus and Alpha Trion to make my point.

Traachon grimaced, and he must have realized that I was right because then he finally started giving us some real answers. "All right, so I lied. But it doesn't change the fact that I know nothing about the assassination."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Why did you visit Gadrin in his hotel room that night?" I asked him.

Traachon hesitated, and then sighed in resignation. "To warn him."

I exchanged a brief glance with Vortex. "Warn him? About what?"

"After yesterday's meeting in the Central Hall, I knew that we'd have a hung Committee. As you are quite aware, Gadrin and myself were the only two members who strongly opposed your Air Commander's most unexpected proposition. It created much conflict, so Mabus called for a private meeting. Needless to say, it only resulted in Gadrin requesting Karlin's dismissal."

"Yeah… he told us about that," I said. "Keep talking."

"Karlin, as you know, is in favour of the proposition, and Alpha Trion… well, he can be easily persuaded either way. It would have come down to Mabus' deciding vote." He paused, watching us with a critical optic. "So… I went to ask Gadrin if there was any way we could convince Mabus to see reason… Gadrin and I agreed that the consequences, should the Decepticons be granted official status within the Paradisian Confederation… would be dire."

"I see. What kind of consequences, Traachon?" I asked him.

He gave me a dirty look, as if to say that I shouldn't have even asked such a thing. "The same consequences that once destroyed our own world – and will herald the end of Paradise Planet as we know it," he replied with antipathy.

But before I could tell him exactly what I thought of him and his consequences, Soundwave returned, requesting my attention. "Ambassador Shantar was granted entry into the Research Center early this morning, and did not leave until this afternoon, shortly before Astrotrain intercepted her shuttle after she'd left for the space port," he informed me.

"Thank you, Soundwave," I said to him, before looking around at all my team mates. I was ready to reveal the results of our investigation. "I know who killed Gadrin," I said.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **The Accused**

Mabus had arranged for an informal hearing to be held in the Central Hall, closed to the public. All four remaining members of the Committee were present, as well as Ambassador Shantar, Commissioner Balek, and all Autobots and Decepticons.

"We welcome you all again, and we thank you all for your help with the investigation of Representative Gadrin's unfortunate passing," Mabus addressed the entire assembly. "We shall hear from both parties, and then weigh up the findings. Optimus Prime, we would like to begin with your investigation efforts."

Optimus Prime stood up from his seat, as everyone in the room quietly watched and waited in anticipation to hear what he had to say. "Thank you, Representatives… Elders. I'd like to begin by saying that Gadrin's passing has affected us all deeply, and I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Autobots, to offer our sincerest condolences to his friends and family. We would also like to extend our sympathies to Ambassador Shantar, who shared a special friendship with the Representative." Shantar smiled ruefully, lowered her head slightly.

Rumble, two seats away from me, leaned across and whispered to me in a low voice, "Come on, come on… I wish he would skip the preamble and just get to the important stuff."

I couldn't help but smile at his candid remark. "Yeah, but it wouldn't be an authentic Prime speech without it," I said to him, and he grinned back at me.

"Prowl, please share with everyone your findings," Prime said, looking at his second-in-charge, before sitting back down again.

Prowl stood up and addressed the group. "After careful consideration of all the evidence, First Representative… we charge the Decepticons with the assassination of Representative Gadrin. Further, it is our recommendation that they be apprehended and detained immediately."

Suddenly, the room turned into chaos as voices erupted all at once. Starscream had his null rays pointed threateningly at Prowl, as Thundercracker and Skywarp offered their own weapons in defense, holding their ground against the Autobots. I stood up, ready to use my scatter blaster should it become necessary.

"Please, do not be concerned," Karlin said to us, stepping in between Prowl and Starscream. "I won't allow that to happen."

"How dare you accuse _us_ , you dirty, good-for-nothing Auto- _scrap_! We had nothing to do with Gadrin's assassination!" Starscream yelled at Prime. I hadn't seen Starscream this furious at anyone in a really long time… and, believe me; you wouldn't want to be the unlucky sucker on the receiving end of one of his verbal attacks.

Though, to be honest, I kind of saw it coming. Even though what Starscream said was true – we had nothing to do with the assassination – there did appear, on the outset, to be a strategic advantage to Gadrin's termination for the Decepticons, which did make us look bad in all of this. But this so-called advantage would have only been short-lived, and not worth either the effort or the risk for us.

Finally, Mabus interrupted the uproar, his voice overriding all the others with a surprising demonstration of dominance. "Please, your attention!" The room finally settled down, and he motioned for the three seekers to sit down. "Please, put away your weapons. That won't be necessary." Once everyone had taken their seats again and the room had quietened down, he continued speaking. "The Autobots must be able to provide sufficient evidence for their claim."

"Of course, Representative. Our claims are never unfounded," Optimus replied, ignoring Starscream's angry scowl.

"We shall also allow the Decepticons the opportunity to respond to your claim. Both parties will get the chance to present their findings," Mabus said, and then nodded towards Prowl, indicating for him to continue.

Prowl stood up again. "We have found compelling evidence that the Decepticons…" He said this slowly, watching for our reaction, "Were involved in Gadrin's assassination. Not only do they, alone, benefit from Gadrin's removal from the Committee, but we have irrefutable evidence that links them directly to the crime. Wheeljack, please hand over the evidence to the Committee, so they may see it for themselves."

I must admit, I did not expect the Autobots to produce any hard evidence against us. If I wasn't able to provide a reasonable explanation for whatever it was that Wheeljack had in his hand, it might result in a serious blow to our credibility.

I watched as the Committee members examined the small packet, as they passed it around among themselves.

"What is this?" Karlin queried.

"That… is what we commonly term a RAID – a Remotely Activated Immobilization Device. It is quite a versatile little gadget, and quite common in acts of sabotage. It can arrest the function of any electronic device, and can be controlled from a remote location. In this instance, we found it attached to the recording equipment just outside Gadrin's guest quarters at the High Rise Inn. It explains the missing portion of security footage, which happens to coincide precisely with the approximate time frame of Gadrin's death."

"There's no proof we put it there," Rumble said, defending our innocence.

Prowl rested his gaze upon the smaller Decepticon, taunting him with a derisive look. "As a matter of fact, a close inspection of the device will clearly reveal that it is, in fact, Decepticon technology."

"Then it is glaringly obvious that we have been set up!" Starscream protested.

Karlin leaned across and whispered something to Mabus, who nodded. The latter then addressed Prowl and the Autobots. "Do you have any further evidence for your claim?"

Prowl acknowledged him with a curt nod, and then spoke. "Indeed we do. We have an eye witness who claims to have seen Starscream break into a local chemical facility the night before Gadrin was found. Small quantities of two common substances were taken. Needless to say, those very same substances are, in fact, both precursors to the lethal substance that was used to poison the Representative: potassium cyanide."

Starscream rose from his chair in protest. "That's a lie, you filthy–" It was only Thundercracker's steady hand placed upon his shoulder that prevented him from starting an all-out war with the Autobots right then and there.

"Don't worry, Starscream. We'll prove them wrong, just wait and see," he said.

Prowl continued his presentation, ignoring our Air Commander's indignation. "Furthermore, the damage to the facility during the forced entry was caused by Decepticon weaponry. This corroborates our witness's claim, and places Starscream at the scene of the break-in."

Before anyone could say anything further, I interjected with a question. "Who's the witness?" Prowl ignored my question, so I appealed to the Committee. "We have a right to know who the witness is."

Mabus nodded in agreement. "Please, answer the question," he said to Prowl.

The Autobot's military strategist glanced my way, but he did not display any emotion. "The name of the witness is Talak Ren. He has submitted a sworn statement."

"Thank you," Mabus said to him.

Prowl sat down again. "There is nothing further."

Mabus addressed the group. "We shall take a ten minute break, and then hear what the Decepticons have to say."

The room broke into lively conversation, as the Autobots chatted amongst themselves, while the Committee members exchanged private words.

"I guess it's all up to you now," Astrotrain said to me.

My team mates must have all come to the unanimous decision that I'd be the one to speak for them, though I hadn't really thought about it – I'd been too focused on solving the case. "Yeah, I guess it is."

There was a lot riding on the outcome of this case. It could mean the difference between our losing out on an established partnership with a resource-rich planet, or gaining one – a partnership that would finally see the Decepticons recognized as an official independent power, not only within the Cybertronian Empire, but also within our galactic neighbourhood.

But now there was another complication; Starscream's own reputation was also on the line. If I couldn't blow the Autobots' case completely out of the water and help to clear his name, any chance of a future partnership with Paradisia would be over for us, and the Autobots would keep their exclusive status as the sole representatives of Cybertron. Everything now rested upon the strength of our case, and on what I would say next.

As the room began to settle down again, I gathered my thoughts together as I slowly stood up, and then started to do what I do best: talk.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : _Have you figured out who assassinated Gadrin before Swindle reveals the answer? Turn to the final chapter to find out._


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **The Assassin**

"The first thing I would like to disprove is that we had something to do with that immobilization device the Autobots submitted as evidence. But before I do that, we have our own pieces of evidence that we'd like to bring to the Committee's attention. Scavenger?"

The Constructicon stood up and walked over to the Committee members, handing them two small packets. Then he returned to his seat.

"What you hold in your hands are two small pieces of spy equipment of Cybertronian design. One was found in our own guest quarters…" I paused for a moment, and then glanced towards the Autobots. "While the other… was retrieved from the Autobots' quarters."

Sounds of shock and surprise rose up as the Autobots began to question what I had just said.

"That can't be right…" Wheeljack said. "No one's been in there but us."

"You mean you snuck into our room?" Ratchet said to me. "Why you conniving, low-life piece of sc–"

Optimus cut him off before the Autobot medic could throw around any more insults at us. "How do we know it wasn't one of you who planted it in our room?"

Fair enough question. "I was getting to that." I waited until everyone had quietened down again, and then spoke to the Committee members. "If you will examine the two devices carefully, you will notice that only one of them bears the Decepticon insignia, the same one that was found in the Autobots' room. This would normally suggest that it belongs to us and, therefore, that we placed it in their quarters." Mabus examined the two packets in his hand, and then looked back at me. "But I will prove otherwise. Both those devices, even though they _appear_ to be of Cybertronian origin are, in fact, not of Cybetronian origin at all. Representative Karlin was kind enough to help us out. He got the devices checked out, and it's been found that they are cleverly constructed replicas of the originals. In other words, they're not ours. The components and materials used to manufacture them can only be sourced from one place: Orbita."

There were more reactions of surprise from many in the room, including the Ambassador herself. She had a shocked expression on her face.

"If you don't believe me, ask Karlin yourself," I said.

The named Representative nodded his head affirmatively. "Swindle is telling the truth. I have the lab results here," he said, handing a data crystal to the three other Committee members.

I continued. "I would strongly suggest that the Committee get that immobilization device tested. I think you'll find the results most interesting." The room remained quiet as everyone considered the implications of the evidence so far. "Naturally, this would suggest a connection with Orbita and Ambassador Shantar. We know that the Ambassador shared a… close connection with Gadrin. We also know that they shared a meal together at The Ambrosia the day before his death, and that he was poisoned with potassium cyanide capsules, the effects of which did not claim his life until much later that evening. And that's not the only thing we found; we also picked up traces of potassium cyanide powder in the females' rest room at the restaurant."

Suddenly, the room broke out in a tumult of confusion and uproar. Ambassador Shantar started objecting to what I'd said, vehemently denying that it was she who had poisoned Gadrin and that we were trying to set her up. Mabus sought to quell the chaos, standing up and motioning for everyone to stay seated. "Please, no one is on trial here. All information presented shall be reviewed and evaluated, with full consideration given to all parties involved. Please, let him finish."

Once things had settled again, I continued. Pacing the room helped me refocus my thoughts. "I knew that the assassin had to be from Orbita… and, for a while there the Ambassador appeared to be the most likely suspect." I held my hand up before she could protest. "Before you say anything, let me explain." Shantar shifted uneasily in her chair, but remained quiet. "I checked all arrivals and departures for all inter-galactic flights the day before Gadrin was found dead, and noticed one unscheduled Orbital ship, with no passenger list or flight details. However, we also confirmed that a second ship from Orbita arrived on Paradisia within the past week. This ship, which still awaits permission for departure at the space port, belongs to the Ambassador and her crew." I looked at her, watching for her reaction. "The Ambassador has stated that she arrived here six days ago, and that she was, in fact, completely unaware of Gadrin's demise until earlier this afternoon, when Astrotrain intercepted her shuttle. Well, her story checks out, and I can safely say that she is not our assassin."

The Ambassador's eyes showed immediate relief, and surprise. I'm pretty sure she had not been expecting me to say that at all. Little did she know, however, that I had more surprises in store.

"It's that unscheduled ship that really drew my attention. As I already mentioned, I knew that the assassin must have some connection with Orbita, and if it wasn't the Ambassador herself, then I figured it had to be someone who had connections to her, someone who would be able to get close enough to Gadrin but go relatively unnoticed. I figured that it must have been someone who had accompanied her here, perhaps one of her own crew or personal assistants, but when I checked the passenger list from her ship's flight record against the names of her current entourage… one name, in particular, was missing from that passenger list."

By this stage, I had everyone's undivided attention. Before I revealed the identity of the assassin, I wanted to make sure that I'd explained how I'd arrived at my conclusion. I also wanted to establish a motive. "As I'd already ascertained, the suspect is indeed from Orbita; however, he did not arrive here on the same ship as the Ambassador. He arrived here on that unscheduled flight, and then departed on the same day." I began to pace the room once more, as all eyes – and optics – were riveted on me. "Now, our assassin did not act independently. He was sent here by someone… or some- _ones_ … in a high position. Someone in a position of great power on Orbita, someone who would benefit from making sure that the political status quo is maintained on Paradisia. Someone who, once they had been informed of Starscream's proposal, was desperate to make sure that we… the Decepticons… would never be offered a place on the Inter-Galactic Committee. Of course, one way to do that would be to make it look like _we_ killed Gadrin – a Representative who was well known for his antagonistic and outspoken views towards us – setting us up with the perfect motive. A clever strategy, perhaps… but not clever enough."

I slowly sat back down in my seat, and looked at everyone in turn. "But what about the chemical facility break-in, you might ask. Well, there is one simple explanation for that. It has to do with the weapon used to accomplish the deed. If it weren't for the eye witness's account, the thief could have been anyone in possession of a Decepticon weapon. I know for a fact, as a munitions expert and part-time arms dealer myself, that it isn't too difficult to get one, especially if you know who to talk to. Not only that, but had it actually been Starscream, as the witness claims, then he would have most likely used his null rays, an extremely versatile and powerful weapon, to break into the facility. His weapon has the ability to dematerialize any material object, convenient if you don't want to leave behind a detectable residue or damage pattern… and especially when you don't want to be linked to the scene of a crime. But this was not the case at the chemical facility because, as Prowl has informed us, obvious evidence of weapons damage was left behind. Of course, this still doesn't rule out Starscream entirely, which brings me to the witness."

I stood up again, and looked towards Shantar. "Ambassador?" I said. She gave me a look of astonishment, yet also of realization and, if I interpreted her correctly, gratitude.

"Thank you… Swindle. I think I can take it from here." She looked over at Mabus and the two Elders. "With your assistance, Representative, I'd like to place Talak Ren under arrest."

The room fell eerily quiet, all eyes widening in astonishment as the assassin's identity was suddenly revealed to them. The Autobots, too, were caught off guard. "We will be happy to assist you, Ambassador. I will send a security team to apprehend him at once," Mabus told her after a long moment.

The Autobots continued to sit quietly in their seats, unsure of what to do, while Vortex laid a congratulatory hand on my shoulder. Then everyone began speaking all at once, as Mabus conferred with the rest of the Committee for several minutes, until finally he stood up and turned to address both Autobots and Decepticons. "If Talak Ren is indeed confirmed guilty for Representative Gadrin's assassination, no doubt we shall be greatly indebted to the Decepticons for their efforts in uncovering the truth… and for the Autobots' continued support." Finally, he turned his attention to our Air Commander. "As for your proposal, Starscream… the Committee has decided… and it is my pleasure in welcoming the Decepticons into a formal partnership with Paradisia… with official representation on our Committee. Congratulations to you all."

The room finally broke out in cheers and shouts. Of course, there truly were no words to describe how we all felt as Mabus uttered those words. I, for one, was relieved that our efforts had paid off… and that I was able to help the Decepticons get the kind of recognition that had been eluding us for vorns. This victory now meant that the Cybertronian Empire could no longer ignore our demands for independence, something which we had fought for over countless battles.

As I watched my comrades revel in our recent triumph, I noticed Jazz and Beachcomber heading towards me. For an astro-second my automatic response system kicked into alert mode, before I willed it to disengage.

"Hey, Swindle," Jazz said. "We just wanted to congratulate you on your investigation. You did great."

Then the blue and white one spoke. "Yeah, give credit where credit's due, as the organics like to say."

I didn't quite know how to respond to them, as I wasn't accustomed to receiving praise from Autobots, so I just smiled appreciatively. "It was a deal too good to pass up," I finally replied.

Optimus Prime slowly got up from his seat and approached Starscream, who watched him with apprehension. "Congratulations…" He said, his tone humbled, "You have earned it."

Starscream was momentary speechless, as any of us would have been; it was indeed a rare event to see the Autobot leader own up to his error in judgment, especially to a Decepticon. "Yes… yes, I have indeed. So, how does it feel, great Autobot leader, to be proven wrong? Perhaps a sincere apology would be most fitting." Ah, Starscream; gotta love his audacity.

Optimus hesitated, before turning and walking away. "Don't push your luck," he said finally, over his shoulder.

* * *

 **Epilogue:**

Talak Ren was apprehended and, after the Committee examined all the evidence, he was found guilty and remains on Orbita for trial. Megatron commended Starscream for a highly successful mission. As for my own efforts, well… I can honestly say that recognition is its own reward.

The Decepticons successfully entered into a partnership with the Paradisian Confederation, and Shockwave was selected to represent us on the Inter-Planetary Committee. So, the Paradisians got what they wanted – safe passage through Cybertronian space – while we got what we wanted. It wasn't the generous supply of crystallite we received that had made this whole thing worthwhile; it wasn't even the numerous benefits that we would gain from our new alliance with the Paradise Planet. No, the best thing about this whole deal was seeing the looks on all the Elders' faces back home when they were told about our win, and knowing that they'd never again be able to (publicly, at least) deny us our right to exist as a self-governing faction of the Cybertronian Empire.

Now that's a deal made in Paradise.

– Decepticon Swindle


End file.
